Reunion
by Andrio
Summary: An alternative, more dramatic, version of Tali and Shepard reuniting and becoming romantically involved.
1. Chapter 1

Tali was desperately running, trying to get to cover. There was a YMIR heavy mech walking towards her, readying its weapons.

This was all Prazza's fault, her second-in-command on the mission. When he saw a Cerberus shuttle fly overhead and land, he decided they had to quickly find Veetor—the one they came to the abandoned human colony to find—and leave. Tali ordered them not to run ahead, but they ignored her command. Despite their foolishness and insubordination, she couldn't just stand back and let them fight alone. She joined their fight, but it was too late; they had all been cut down by the heavy mech. Now it was just her.

The mech launched a missile in Tali's direction as she ran. The missile flew past her and exploded against some crates, several yards in front of her. The blast didn't cause her any direct harm, but the explosion sent a piece of metal shrapnel flying. It struck Tali in the upper part of her left thigh. She instantly collapsed to the floor, with a loud, sudden yell of pain. She immediately kept moving however, crawling around the corner of the nearest modular trailer, which had once served as a home for some human colonists. There was nothing but a concrete wall on the side of this trailer, it was a dead end. She had no where to hide, and nothing to shield her from the mech. The injury her leg had sustained prevented all flight. She was in a bad situation.

The mech was on the move. She could hear it walking parallel to the trailer. Approaching the corner that Tali had turned. Each step made a loud thud; a reminder that it was approaching. Each step brought certain death closer.

Tali desperately began to type into her omni-tool. She locked onto the mech, and began attempting to hack into it. She managed to acquire access to some of its systems, and found the processes that handled the flow of energy to its kinetic barriers. After adjusting some values and executing, there was the loud, zapping sound of the mech's shields dropping. It was a small triumph.

Tali quickly looked up from her omni-tool, the mech was not visible, but its shadow was stretching on the ground. It was nearly around the corner of the modular trailer. She immediately looked back down and kept working. Her fingers were trembling, yet they were fast and precise as Tali desperately tried to hack further into the mech's system. Her omni-tool, fingers, and technical expertise were both her only weapon and her only defense.

She tried everything she could, but she simply did not have the time needed to hack into the mech and disable it. Her eyes looked up again, and she saw the mech; it was finally around the corner. It stood there, Its optics glowing bright red. It raised its arm, preparing its weapon. Tali's fingers stopped moving, and just hovered over her omni-tool. All she could do was look on at the mech, as it stood there. There were mere seconds left before the mech's weapons would open fire.

It was over; this would be her final moment alive. Her life would be extinguished by this damn mech; this damn machine incapable of compassion or emotion or any feeling. Tali was filled with hatred towards this machine; she despised it. She wished she wasn't wearing a mask, just so she could spit at it. It was disgusting; to die to a synthetic being was both tragic and insulting to a Quarian. To die to this mech was worse than dying to a Geth; this wasn't even capable of sentience.

Suddenly, all of the negative emotions Tali had been feeling—desperation, anger, fear—they fled as she looked on at her executioner, as it truly sunk in, that she would die. Perhaps her anger and fear fled because she was in shock, or maybe all living beings experience calm before they die; a mechanism to bring peace and comfort to one in their final moments.

Her eyes were fixed on the mech, but she didn't _see_ it anymore; her mind wouldn't process the visual information being transmitted by her eyes. Her killer would not be the final image in her mind. Flashes of her life were all she could see. She saw random images of her childhood. She saw when she reached adolescence and received her first suit. She saw her mother's body, after she died from the outbreak. She saw the Flotilla from a distance, when she left on her pilgrimage. These and countless other images of her life appeared to her, each lasting an infinitesimal amount of time. She arrived to one image in particular, however, that stuck; her mind didn't move to another one after reaching this one. This was the image where her mind found the most peace in.

It was Shepard's face. During her time as crew of the Normandy, she had seen Shepard's face countless times in countless different angles, but this particular memory of his face, was very specific. He was smiling, something he rarely did. It was after she had asked him for the Geth data they found. He had handed an OSD that contained it, and their fingers touched as she reached for it, and he smiled at her. Though Tali loved him, she had convinced herself they could never be together. But during this very specific moment, with their hands touching as he handed her what would complete her pilgrimage—and just maybe, get her people their home back one day—they had shared a moment. She had felt loved by him. This is what her mind chose to be the final image it processed, the final thing her sentience would experience.

There was suddenly a loud bang, and Shepard's face disappeared, it was gone. But she did not see blackness; she was not dead. Tali was still alive. She snapped back to reality, just in time to see a flash of sparks appear behind the mech's head. Someone had shot at it before it could attack her.

The mech began to turn around to assess the threat. Someone was running towards it, with great speed and determination, shooting pistol rounds at it, drawing its attention. Before the mech could complete its rotation, the attacker had reached it, dropped the overheated pistol, and jumped unto its side, quickly moving to its back and climbing up to its shoulders.

Tali observed, still partly in shock. She noticed that the one attacking the mech was a human male, fully clad in combat armor and wearing a helmet. He was clearly one of the Cerberus crew members that arrived on the shuttle. He was hanging unto the mech's shoulders, as it violently swung its arms, trying to throw him off, but he would not be moved.

His left hand grabbed unto the Mech's head to stabilize himself, and he pulled himself up. Then with his right hand, he pulled out his shotgun and positioned the firing end of it to the mech's equivalent of a neck, and the opposite end of it against his right shoulder. The shotgun was locked firmly in place, and he began to shoot. The explosive sound of each shotgun blast resonated loudly through the Mech's metallic body, and flashes of electrical sparks and bits of metal flew out with each pull of the trigger.

On the surface, attacking a YMIR heavy mech in this manner could only be considered stupid; A brutal and savage attack, with no strategy or planning. The mech was large and powerful, all instinct and common sense said to stay away from it, to keep distance. But the truth of the matter is, attacking the mech like this was pure genius. This strategy against the heavy mech was the product of a man who was both absolutely fearless and a master strategist.

The mech's incredible firepower and impenetrable armor were utterly neutralized by this style of attack. It could not attack the human; it could not even defend itself. All its might, all its power, accounted for nothing. It was unable to properly reach behind its back, and it could not move fast enough to shake the attacker. It's slow, awkward, and ultimately useless movements, were all it could do. This person had pinpointed its biggest weakness and was brutally exploiting it.

The shotgun began to click as its trigger was pulled; it was overheated. To most, the clicking sound of an overheated weapon would be terrifying, a signal of a sudden disadvantage. To the warrior battling the mech, this was just an invitation to alter his attack. He let the shotgun drop to the floor, and he wrapped his right arm under the mech's head. He began pull, as hard as he could. He pulled against the Mech's head with every muscle fiber in his body. After mere seconds, the mech's critically damaged neck finally gave way. Its head was ripped off, and electrical sparks flew everywhere as the head fell to the ground. It's red optics instantly dimmed. The mech was completely neutralized. The head was never damaged, and it never got a chance to send the electrical signal that would initiate a self-destruct.

The mech's immobilized body fell to the ground. The man let go as it fell and he landed on his feet with his back to Tali. She couldn't believe what had happened. She was astonished. In just over the span of time it took two thermal clips to reach capacity, she went from certain death to salvation. All she could think to do was simply be thankful.

"Thank you…" Tali stuttered to the man standing in front of her. He stood in the exact same spot where the mech had been. "That was…amazing. I, I haven't seen anyone fight like that since…well, a long time..."

He turned around and looked at her, not saying a word. His helmet blocked his face, but there was something _eerily_ familiar about this human male. The way he stood, his posture, his height; Tali had seen it all before. It couldn't be… could it? Her mind told her it was impossible, but her heart wanted to believe. She had to ask. "Who are—what is your name…?" She asked, slowly; cautiously.

"Shepard!" Another man yelled as he ran towards the figure standing before Tali. "Holy hell Shepard, that was incredible! Crazy son of a bitch, there isn't a damn doubt in my mind why we brought you back." He was a dark skinned human male, wearing a black and white suit, with the Cerberus insignia on it.

Tali was shocked. "S-Shepard…?" she muttered, staring at him. The man then removed his helmet, and she saw Shepard's face. He sighed, and smiled at her. It was the exact same smile that she remembered; the same smile that flashed into her mind when she was going to die. It was him; there was no doubt in her mind.

"Hey, Tali…" Shepard said softly.

The other man observed how they looked at each other, and he immediately realized that this was the Quarian from his original crew. He decided to give them some time alone. "Shepard, I'm going to go help Miranda, let me know if you need me."

"Thank you, Jacob." He responded as Jacob walked away.

Shepard looked at Tali for a short while and suddenly noticed the finger-wide piece of flat metal dug into her thigh. "Tali, your leg! Are you alright?" He moved quickly to her, and kneeled in front of her on one knee as he looked at her injury.

"No…my leg, took a bad hit. The injury itself isn't too bad, but a lot of foreign bacteria is in my system now. I'm…worried, Shepard." Tali answered, still amazed over seeing Shepard alive.

"We need to get you some medical attention. Damn it, every colonist is gone, they would've had a doctor. I don't even have medi-gel on me; we didn't expect any fighting here." Shepard said with concern in his voice. He looked at Tali, at the metal sticking out of the upper part of her left thigh. "Tali… I'm sorry, but the shrapnel needs to come out right away."

"I know, Shepard. Do it." Tali responded, and held her breath.

"Clench your teeth" Shepard advised and readied his hand. He suddenly grabbed the shrapnel and pulled it out, fast. Tali let out quick groan as her torso jerked forward. Some blood began to flow out, and Shepard quickly loosened the cloth wrappings around Tali's leg, and positioned them higher. He wrapped the cloth tightly around the wound. The beautiful purple fabric that had adorned Tali's thigh was now a makeshift bandage.

"This will hold for now, but you need treatment. We especially need something to fight infection." Shepard said.

"We have some medical supplies on the shuttle; medi-gel, antibiotics, antiseptics—they'll help a lot. I should be able to make it back to the Flotilla once it's treated." Tali told him. She paused for a moment, and continued "Shepard, I… need help getting to the shuttle. Will you, um… help me? My other leg is fine, I just need some help keeping weight off my left leg."

Shepard smiled at her, and sighed softly "You clearly haven't changed a bit, Tali"

"What do you mean?"

"Even now, with your injury… you ask for the bare minimum of help. You've always been like that; asking for the smallest amount; always being utterly selfless." Shepard answered, and added "You've always deserved more than what you've asked for." And with that, he leaned forward and slid his left arm under her knees, and his right arm around her back, and lifted her off the ground. He was going to carry her. "Now, where's your shuttle?" He asked as he held her.

Tali suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach. She had never been held like this by anyone. Her mind lost all track of the pain in her leg. She just felt happy and comforted; she was in Shepard's arms, somewhere she longed to be for so long; somewhere she believed was impossible to ever be, even before he died. There was no safer, better place in the entire galaxy.

"It's past the gate, to the right. It's not very far." She answered him, and he began to move. There was a peaceful silence as he walked with her in his arms, but Tali needed to disturb the quiet; she had many questions, she needed to find out what had happened to Shepard. "This is…so confusing, Shepard. Just mere moments ago, you had been dead for two years. But here you are now, carrying me to my shuttle. Where have you been? Why didn't you ever communicate with m—with your old crew? What did that other man mean by 'brought you back'? And Shepard…why are you with Cerberus?"

"I understand that it's confusing to you, Tali. It's very strange to me as well. I _did_ die when the Normandy was destroyed. I…woke up just yesterday. Apparently Cerberus had recovered my body, and spent the last two years rebuilding me. They spent a fortune to bring me back" He explained, his eyes looking at hers.

"That's… amazing. Cerberus finally did something good." She sighed, and then continued "It's… really good to have you back. But Shepard, you remember all the terrible things Cerberus has done; we even investigated some of their experiments while hunting down Saren. You remember what they did to the Admiral of your Alliance. While you were gone, they even attacked the Flotilla. You…haven't joined them, have you Shepard?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"No Tali. I don't care what they did for me, I haven't joined them, and I never will. I'll work with them for now, to find out what's happened to these human colonies, but after this is over, I don't want to hear from them again." Shepard told her, now looking straight ahead.

"Good" was Tali's only response. She was relieved, and she felt at peace understanding how it was possible for Shepard to be here now. Feeling relieved and relaxed as Shepard carried her, she let her head slowly lean to the side, and it eventually pressed against Shepard's shoulder, resting against it. She wanted to do that since he had picked her up. Tali saw Shepard look down at her again, and he just smiled at her as he observed her head resting against his shoulder. His reaction of simply looking at her and smiling, made Tali very happy.


	2. Chapter 2

Shepard finally reached the shuttle and walked inside, Tali still laying in his arms. "There's an isolated medical area at the end of the shuttle. When you seal the door, it'll do a decontamination cycle." Tali informed him, and he proceeded to walk towards the end of the shuttle. He entered the very small room and the door closed behind him; an automatic decontamination cycle began, sterilizing the air. He very gently lowered Tali's body unto the medical bed.

"Thank you, Shepard" Tali said quietly as she was laid down. Shepard noticed a cabinet next to the medical bed, obviously where the supplies where.

"I've had to patch myself up quite a few times. I can't imagine it being a whole lot different for a Quarian. I'm guessing all I need to do is thoroughly clean the area, inject some antibiotics, and apply medi-gel to the wound?" Shepard asked, as he dug through the cabinet, picking the supplies he figured he'd need.

"Um…I should—uh, I think I should take it from here." Tali replied, suddenly sounding very nervous.

"Is something wrong Tali? You don't need to worry, I can't tell you how many wounds I've had to patch up. I know what I'm doing, and you really should have someone help you." Shepard said, reassuringly to her.

"No it's not that…it's just that...um—I trust your ability to tend to the wound—It's just…" Tali was nervous, and sounded very embarrassed. She took in a deep breath, pulled herself together, and continued speaking. "The problem is, Shepard, the wound is in my upper thigh, and the bottom half of my suit would need to be…lowered. There's noth—Quarians don't, um…wear under…garments...with our suits…"

Shepard chuckled quietly as he put his hand on his face. "Wow… yeah. I see now why you're so uncomfortable." Shepard said to her. He sighed. "Tali, it's your call. I understand how it could make you uncomfortable. If you want to try and tend the wound yourself, it's okay. But please know, I have a lot of respect for you, you're my friend and you were my crew member. I really couldn't care less what I see; I just want to help my friend with her injury." He said to her reassuringly. Without realizing it, he had taken her hand, and had been gently squeezing it. He felt a little awkward when he noticed he was holding her hand, which he knew was a somewhat intimate gesture. But Tali just squeezed his hand back; she enjoyed his hand holding hers.

"I trust you…" Tali said, very quietly.

Shepard smiled at her, and responded by giving her hand a gentle, tight squeeze. He let go of it, and positioned himself to treat Tali's wound. He unwrapped the cloth fabric which had been around her thighs, and placed them on each one's respective side. The left cloth fabric was stained red with blood. Her leg had clotted sufficiently that he was able to remove the fabric without significant blood coming out. His hands moved up to her waist, and he found where the bottom half of the suit connected with the torso part. He fiddled with the mechanism that kept both parts connected.

Both sections of the suit were suddenly separated, and he began to slide the lower part of her suit down. Tali was tense and embarrassed; she wouldn't dare say a word or make a sound. She just wanted to seem as invisible as possible. Before she knew it, her lower suit was down to her knees; she could feel cool air touching her sensitive skin. Shepard avoided looking, out of respect for Tali, but it was impossible not to notice her private area; it was impossible not to notice it looked identical to a human female's. But that didn't matter, it wasn't why he was here; he immediately got to work on her leg.

"Your injury isn't too bad, Tali" Shepard said as he was wiping the blood off her thigh, trying to comfort her by talking to her.

"It's not the injury that worries me. A suit puncture is bad enough, but having an injury like this is… dangerous for me." Tali responded, her voice nervous and unsteady. She was obviously still very embarrassed.

"You're strong Tali. I know you'll beat this." Shepard said in a confident voice to reassure her. He finished cleaning the area.

"I… don't know. But, thank you, Shepard"

He then injected a dosage of antibiotics right next to the wound; Tali's leg twitched from the sudden stinging of the needle. "Alright, time to seal this up and we'll be done" He said, grabbing the bottle of medi-gel he had pulled from the cabinet. He squeezed a large amount of gel on the wound, and very gently rubbed it in. Tali's leg tensed up from the pain of having her wound rubbed, but it relaxed as the anesthetic properties of the medi-gel kicked in, and the pain began to fade away. "And we're done" Shepard said.

Tali didn't say anything. The moment was still very awkward for her, but she was feeling a lot better, a lot more comfortable with Shepard having seen so much of her; she trusted him. She felt Shepard tugging up on her lower suit, sliding it back up her legs. She helped him by arching her back, raising her body up so that her lower suit could slide up all the way. Shepard finished raising it, and connected it to the torso section.

"I take it this is for suit-repair?" Shepard asked Tali, holding up a roll of a very heavy, black tape.

"Yes Shepard" She answered. Shepard immediately pulled out a strip of the suit repair tape, and covered the suit puncture with it. He added a few extra layers, just to be safe.

"Looks like I'm done, Tali. That wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked as he grabbed a chair that had been off to the side, and pulled it up next to Tali's bed. He sat down, right next to her.

"I… don't even know how I should be feeling. Tonight has been so strange. One moment I was on a simple mission, then I was looking right at death—my life even flashed before me—then I saw you, back from the dead. And now you… 'saw' me…" Her voice took an embarrassed tone as she said that. "I'll be okay—I hope—I just need some time to rest. It'll be good to return to the fleet."

"I know you don't like Cerberus, but I'd really like it if you joined me on my mission. I'd really like to see Tali'Zorah nar Rayya on my crew roster again." Shepard said with a smile, as he gently took Tali's hand again.

Tali giggled softly, which was a pleasant surprise to Shepard. "Actually… I'm Tali'Zorah vas Neema now. After my pilgrimage I became crew of the Neema." She told him, gripping his hand.

"Well, my apologies Miss vas Neema" he said with some slight sarcasm in his voice. "But… congratulations on completing your pilgrimage, I know how important it was for you. I wish I could've been around for that" Shepard said, disappointed. Tali reached over with her other hand and held his with both of hers. Shepard looked at Tali's mask, right at the subtle shine of her eyes; he could tell she was very relaxed.

"I would love to be with you Shepard—" Tali said, and immediately realized it sounded wrong. "To join your crew, I mean." She added with a slight stutter, and continued. "I wish I could, but my mission is too important. The Admiralty would be very unhappy. My dad… I don't even want to think about how he'd react."

"I understand Tali. Maybe when you're done with it, we'll get to be together—work together, I mean." Shepard responded. Tali noticed his little slip up; it was always very rare for Shepard to mix up words like that. She loved hearing it.

There was a slightly awkward silence after both of their verbal slip ups. After a short while, the silence was broken by Tali. "Shepard… I told you that I was worried, because of an infection from my injury. I think I'll be okay, but it's not out of the question that I… won't make it." She said slowly; Shepard squeezed her hand, and she continued. "You rescued me when we first met, and then you let me join your crew. On the Normandy, you treated me so well. Quarians are always treated poorly by others. But you… I felt like an equal on your ship, respected and welcomed. The Normandy felt like home to me."

Shepard responded only by smiling, so as not to interrupt her; she continued talking. "This… is a little hard for me to confess, but I already missed the chance to say it once, and if I can't beat the inevitable infection from my injury, I'll miss the chance for good. Shepard, I…care…about you, a lot. More than just a friends, I mean. I have for so long… I can't tell you how often I wished I wasn't trapped in this suit, so that I could tell you how I felt. I just, I never imagined you could see past it."

Shepard inhaled and sighed. He then took one of Tali's hands, brought it up to his face, and kissed the back of it. She couldn't feel his lips through her suit glove, but seeing the gesture made her heart skip a beat.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Tali, I feel the same way about you. I knew you were a special person since the moment I met you. And all the time I spent with you on our mission back on the Normandy, showed me just how special. Tali… I have always been able to see past your suit."

Tali's eyes watered up under her mask. Hearing Shepard confess he cared for her, just as she cared for him, was just too much. She couldn't help herself; she reached up and threw her arms around Shepard, hugging him from where she laid. Shepard leaned forward and put his arms around her, returning her embrace, holding her tightly. It could not be seen, but a tear rolled down Tali's cheek.

There was silence for a while as they embraced. Shepard couldn't help himself, and with their feelings having been revealed to each other, he felt comfortable enough to say it: "I didn't have to _just_ see past the suit tonight, though"

"Shepard!! Oh Keelah…" Tali immediately reacted, letting go of him and embarrassingly covering her mask with her hands. "Why did you have to remind me of that?"

Shepard laughed quietly, and very gently took hold of her wrists, guiding her hands away from her mask. "You really have nothing to be embarrassed about, Tali. Everything I've ever seen of you since we met, has always been absolutely beautiful…" He said softly, staring into Tali's eyes. She immediately felt better upon hearing his words. "I have always wondered… if the face under that mask is as beautiful as every other part of you…"

Tali just stared back, his words lingering in her mind. It was at that moment, when she came to a decision; to a realization. She loved Shepard, and she decided she wanted him to see her face. He would be the only one to have ever seen it. "Shepard, I've… never shown my face to anyone, but, I want to show it to you... I want you to see it… to see me." At the end of those words, her hands moved upwards toward her mask, towards the small buttons on each side of her helmet that would release her mask, and expose her face to Shepard. In just seconds, Tali's face would be revealed to him.

"Shepard, you there?" was suddenly heard from Shepard's communicator, sounding far louder than it really was. The moment was utterly disrupted, and Shepard let out a big sigh.

"Yes, Jacob, I'm here. What is it?" Shepard responded, with some noticeable impatience in his voice.

"We found a Quarian, Veetor. He was here when the colony was attacked. You need to come see the security footage he pieced together, this is major."

"I'll… be right over." Shepard responded, looked at Tali, and sighed again. She took his hand and squeezed it. "Tali, you heard, I need to go. I'm still technically on a mission."

"I know, Shepard, I understand" she responded.

Shepard smiled at her, and leaned towards her, letting his arms slide around her back to hug her. She immediately wrapped her arms around him in return, and they hugged tightly. "And as for you Miss vas Neema... you get better, finish your mission, and join my crew" he told her as they embraced.

"I will. I promise." Tali replied, with heavy emotion in her voice. "I have so much reason to."

Shepard slowly let her go, and stood up, stepping towards the door. "Shepard… please make sure they send Veetor back. He's traumatized, and both him and I need to get to the Flotilla for medical attention. I'll program the shuttle VI to automatically fly us back there with my omni-tool."

"I'll make sure of it, Tali" Shepard said, and smiled at her. It was once again the same, loving smile she had seen earlier. "I'll see you later" he told her, and walked out of the room. The door sealed behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

_From: Tali'Zorah vas Neema_

_To: Commander Shepard_

_Keelah, that's like the fifth time you've asked! But thank you, I appreciate your concern. My infection is completely gone. I've felt perfectly fine for days now. _

_I need to tell you something, I have some really good news. The admiralty is sending me on a mission, and after I complete it, I'm going to be able to put in a request to be transferred to your ship and rejoin your crew._

_I miss you so much. I can't wait! It's going to be even better than old times._

_Yours,_

_Tali_

_

* * *

  
_

Shepard finished reading Tali's last message on his private terminal, in the Combat Information Center of the Normandy. He had read it multiple times since he got it; he was very happy at the thought of Tali rejoining his crew, for more reasons than just her technical skills. She's been on his mind a great deal since his encounter with her on Freedom's Progress, just over two weeks ago.

"Commander, the Illusive Man wishes to speak to you in the comm room. He says it's something you'll want to hear as soon as possible." Yeoman Kelly told Shepard from her station, interrupting Shepard's thoughts.

"Thank you, Kelly." Shepard responded as he walked away, going through the armory and entering the communications room. The room dimmed and the table retracted as Shepard was scanned. The Illusive Man's hologram appeared before Shepard.

"Shepard, I have some news that may be of interest to you." The Illusive Man said, exhaling his cigarette. "Your old crew member, Tali'Zorah, appears to be in some trouble and she may need your help."

"What? What's happened to her?" Shepard asked, suddenly very interested in what the Illusive Man had to say.

"We've been monitoring her. She's currently on the old Quarian colony Haestrom, deep within Geth space."

"Wait. 'Monitoring' her? You've been _spying_ on Tali?" There was noticeable anger in Shepard's voice.

The Illusive Man picked up his glass and took a sip of his drink; he then set it back on his desk. "More like, 'keeping an eye' out on her; for your sake. Look Shepard, whatever affects this mission is my business. This Quarian is obviously… 'important' to you, and that makes her a factor. I need to monitor every factor."

Shepard didn't like knowing that the Illusive Man was aware of his feelings for Tali, though it didn't surprise him that he knew. "Alright. I get it. What's the problem with Tali?"

"As I said, she's currently deep in Geth territory. She's there with a team of Quarian marines, gathering data on the planet's local star. Transmissions from the planet suggest that a Geth patrol discovered their position, and are currently engaging the Quarians. I'll forward you the coordinates to the planet, as well as all the information we have. Good luck, Shepard." The Illusive Man's hologram disappeared, and the lights came back on in the communications room.

"Joker, did you get the coordinates?" Shepard asked out loud.

"Yes commander. I'm plotting a course right now." Joker confirmed.

Shepard left the communications room, and headed to his terminal. He needed to study all the information he had on Tali's situation. He needed to be thoroughly prepared.

It wasn't long before the Normandy had arrived to its destination. It was now in Haestrom's orbit. Its docking doors opened and the shuttle flew out. The shuttle descended unto the planet.

Inside the shuttle sat Shepard, Garrus, and Grunt. The shuttle trembled and shook as it as it entered the atmosphere. Everyone was silent; the only sound heard was the rumbling of the shuttle. Feint clouds in the atmosphere looked like fog against the windows. Words were finally heard against the rumbling of the shuttle.

"So Tali's really on the planet huh? It'll be good to have her on the team again." Garrus said, looking in Shepard's direction.

"Just who is 'Tali' anyway? And why are we bothering with her?" Grunt asked.

"She's an old crewmember of ours. You'll like her. She's… good with shotguns." Garrus replied, not bothering to mention her technical skills, knowing that Grunt wouldn't care about that.

"Alright guys, listen up. This is the plan." Shepard interrupted them, and began typing into his omni-tool. A holographic map ascended from it. "Based on the Quarian transmissions and scans of the area, we've concluded that Tali is in this old observatory, here." Shepard touched a spot on the hologram, and it zoomed in, showing them a layout of the battlefield.

Shepard continued speaking. "There's only one entrance to the observatory, and scans show that the Geth are heavily concentrated in front of it. Normally on missions we land outside enemy perimeters, and then 'dig' our way into their forces. We're not going to do that this time, Tali doesn't have that long. All the Quarian forces that were with her appear to have been wiped out, so she's likely on her own. That's why we're going to inject straight into the concentration of them near the Observatory."

"Please tell me there's more to your plan, Shepard. According to this map of the area, there isn't even a clear area large enough for the shuttle to land. Hell, that doesn't even matter—they'll shoot us down before we even get the chance to land." Garrus commented.

"I was just getting to that." Shepard responded, and continued discussing his plan. "We're not going to be able to land in the area; there's insufficient clear surface to land on, and the Geth would quickly destroy the shuttle if we tried. But we need to engage those Geth as soon as possible to draw their attention away from the Observatory, every second counts. So when we get there, the shuttle will hover over the area just long enough for me to rope down and begin engaging the Geth. You two then take the shuttle, find a clear spot to land somewhere, and fight your way on foot back to me."

"You've got a quad Shepard, I'll give you that. But they're still going to attack the shuttle as you rope down, and probably kill you too." Grunt commented.

"That's why I asked you two to load the shuttle with the grenade launchers and lots of ammunition before we left. This shuttle doesn't have any weapons, so it's going to be up to you two to lay down suppressing fire on the Geth as I rope down." Shepard responded. He looked at Grunt and asked: "I already know the answer to this, but can you handle both grenade launchers at the same time? One in each hand?"

"Hah! Of course I can." Grunt responded, proudly.

"Good. You'll bombard the area with grenades, while Garrus uses his assault rifle to shoot rounds wherever grenades aren't exploding. This should provide enough suppressing fire to keep the shuttle, and me, safe until I get on the ground."

"Will suppressing fire even, uh, 'suppress' the Geth? I thought they don't feel fear?" Grunt asked.

"No Shepard's right, this'll definitely work. It's true that Geth don't feel fear, but they're logical and they'll do what they can to preserve themselves. They'll take cover when we attack." Garrus assured.

"Shepard, I may have an alternative." EDI's voice was suddenly heard. "The Normandy could bombard the area from orbit. I have run the simulations, and there is only a 3.78% chance that the observatory would be damaged."

"That's too much of a risk. Anything beyond 0% is too high." Shepard immediately responded to EDI. He didn't even have to think about it.

"Very well, Shepard. ETA, two minutes."

"So, to summarize: when we're closed enough, we'll open the shuttle door and you two initiate the suppressing fire. I'll drop down and get to cover, and you guys get the hell out of there before the Shuttle gets shot down. When you find a safe spot to land, make your way to me." Shepard explained, and both Garrus and Grunt nodded at him.

"This doesn't feel right Shepard; I'm worried about dropping you into all those Geth." Garrus said.

"Come on Garrus, you know how many Geth I've fought, I'll be fine." Shepard assured him.

"You? I'm not worried about you. I'm worried about the Geth. We're setting you loose on a sapient race, doesn't the Council consider that a war crime?" Garrus said, jokingly. Shepard just shook his head, chuckling quietly to himself.

"Shepard, further scanning of the area reveals that there's a lone Quarian marine still alive at your intended drop zone. His life signs are stable, and he appears to still be engaging the Geth." EDI informed them.

"Excellent. If he's still alive against that many Geth, he's obviously got a defensible position. Lower the shuttle over his location, EDI, that's where I'll make my drop." Shepard said optimistically.

"Very well, Shepard. ETA, one minute."

Shepard stood up, and prepared his rappel rope, securing it to the shuttle. He stood there for a while, and stared at one of the crates of ammunition for the grenade launchers; appearing to be deep in thought. He went over to it and grabbed one of the grenades.

"Never know when some explosive power will come in handy." He said, attaching it to his suit.

"Will you even be able to use that? I thought those things could only be armed by the launcher." Garrus asked, curiously.

"If you strike the primer on the bottom of it properly, it'll actually arm itself. All you really need is something hard to hit it against." Shepard responded, his military experience obviously showing.

"ETA, 20 seconds." EDI once again informed.

"Let's kick some ass!" Grunt yelled, standing up. The door of the shuttle swung open, and they got into position. Grunt held both grenade launchers in his hands, Garrus held his assault rifle, and Shepard held his rope.

The lone Quarian marine stood behind cover. Though he had taken a suit puncture, he was still fighting; he had sworn to fight the Geth to his last breath, to protect Tali'Zorah, and that's exactly what he was going to do. There were too many Geth for him to take out, but he was at least able to keep them from getting the observatory door open, launching rockets at them whenever they attempted.

The Quarian marine suddenly heard the roaring engines of a craft above him. He looked up, fearing that it was a Geth drop ship, but to his relief he saw what appeared to be a human shuttle. He didn't care who it was, he just knew that if they weren't Geth, they were allies.

As he looked up at the descending shuttle, he began to see the absolutely beautiful sight of rounds of ammunition spraying from the side of it, along with grenades being launched out of it, each one leaving a feint trail of smoke that led to an explosion on the ground. Debris went flying everywhere from the grenade blasts, and assault rifle rounds peppered any area grenades didn't hit. With his morale boosted from the sight of the onslaught unleashed by the mysterious shuttle, the Quarian marine leaned over his cover and joined in, launching rockets at the enemy. Most of the Geth were forced to take cover from the attack, just as was planned.

Shepard suddenly dropped next to the Quarian marine. Before he could even acknowledge him, Shepard yelled into his communicator: "There's a damn Colossus on the other side, get the hell out of here NOW!" His warning came just in time. The shuttle flew off as a bright blue siege pulse from the Geth Colossus flew right below the shuttle, mere inches from hitting it. The sound of the shuttle's engines faded as it disappeared over the structures behind them.

"Squad Leader Kal'Reeger, Migrant Fleet marines. I have no idea who you are or why you're here, but I'm damn glad to see someone other than Geth." The Quarian marine said loudly, introducing himself to Shepard. They were both behind cover, shots flying over head.

"I'm Commander Shepard. I'm here to help. Can you confirm that Tali'Zorah is still alive?" Shepard responded, also speaking loudly, so as to be heard over the Geth gunfire.

"You're Commander Shepard? Tali's mentioned you before; I hope you're as good as she said. You sure know how to make an entrance, I'll give you that." Kal'Reeger commented. "And yes, Tal's still alive. She's safe for the time being, she's in the observatory on the other side. It's heavily fortified; even the Geth will need time to break in, and it's hard to hack a door when someone's firing rockets at you." He said proudly as he held up his missile launcher.

"My crew's finding a safe place to land and then they're going to head to this location, but that Colossus has me worried. If anything can break into the observatory, it can. We need to engage it right now, is there any information you can give me on it?" Shepard asked.

"The main issue is its repair protocol. After it takes sufficient damage, it huddles down and repairs itself. We can't get a clear shot from here when it does that. I tried to move in closer, but one of the bastards punched a shot clean through my suit." Kal'Reeger told Shepard.

"Sounds like I'm going to have to move in closer to take it out then. I'll need your missile launcher to do so, but I'll give you my sniper rifle; you can use it to give me cover from here as I move in."

"Alright Shepard, sounds like a plan. Most of the Geth are located on the left side of the area, so if you take that catwalk on the right side, you should be able reach the Colossus without much problem. Keep in mind that it has a clear shot of you there; watch out for its siege pulses." Kal'Reeger informed, and they exchanged weapons. Shepard secured the missile launcher to his back, and pulled out his assault rifle, preparing to make a run for it. "Go now! I'll cover you!" Kal'Reeger yelled, and Shepard ran towards the catwalk, staying behind cover as much as possible. He could hear sniper rifle shots behind him.

Shepard reached the catwalk and ducked behind the solid metal railing, just as a blue siege pulse from the Colossus flew over him, impacting the stone wall to his side. Pieces of rubble rained around Shepard, but he got up and ran forward. A Geth trooper appeared before him, and he took cover behind a stone block. He leaned over his cover and shot at the trooper, sparks flying as the rounds impacted its metallic head, before a large chunk of it was blown off and the Geth dropped to the ground, disabled.

Shepard once again ducked as a siege pulse from the Colossus blasted nearby. He got up and ran; he was almost to the end of the catwalk. Suddenly another Geth trooper emerged from behind some cover. Shepard instantly raised his rifle to shoot at it, but its head miraculously exploded, pieces of metal and sparks sprayed from where its head had been. Shepard could hear the echo of a sniper rifle resonating on the walls. Kal'Reeger was a good shot.

He jumped down off the end of the catwalk, and took cover behind a large stone pillar. The Colossus was just ahead of him, it was locked on Shepard. It launched another siege pulse in his direction, but Shepard's cover handled the blast. Shepard emerged, knowing he had a short while before the Colossus' primary weapon could fire again, and began to unload rounds from his assault rifle at the Colossus, withering down its shields.

He took cover as the Colossus fired another siege pulse, ejected his thermal clip, and emerged once again, continuing to shoot at it. He finally began to see the assault rifle rounds impacting its body; the shields were finally down. He took cover, and pulled out Kal's missile launcher. It was time to destroy this thing.

Shepard held the missile launcher ready, and waited until the Colossus once again shot a siege pulse in his direction. It impacted nearby, sending chips of rock and dust flying everywhere. Shepard then emerged from his cover one last time, and launched a rocket straight at the unshielded Colossus. The missile impacted the Colossus' "neck", and before it could recover from the impact, another missile had struck its body. And then another, and another. The colossus was being utterly bombarded by missiles, not being given the chance to stabilize itself and return fire.

Shepard just kept pulling the trigger, launching missile after missile, walking towards the Colossus as each missile fired. There was anger and hate in his face, towards this damned Geth which had so threatened Tali's life. Suddenly, the missile blasts against the Colossus stopped. Nothing happened when he pulled the trigger. The missile launcher was out of ammunition.

The Colossus managed to fully regain its balance, and stood upright. It was very badly damaged. Shepard then looked on with terror, as it began to descend unto itself; it was beginning to use its repair protocol. All the damage he had inflicted would be negated, and he was out of missiles to do it again. He needed to think, fast, he needed to find a way to finish it off.

"The grenade!" He said to himself, remembering the grenade he brought with him. He immediately began to sprint towards the Colossus as it was lowering itself, preparing to huddle in and begin its repairs. He reached behind his back, grabbed the grenade, and then dropped to the ground, sliding in front of the Colossus. As he slid on the floor, he banged the bottom of the grenade against the ground, and tossed it under the Colossus just as it finished huddling in; just as he slid past it. Shepard threw himself up off the ground, and kept running.

He heard a loud explosion behind him and looked over his shoulder. He saw the Colossus' body get pushed a few feet into the air and tossed to the side, as parts and pieces of it flew in every direction. The blast had ripped an entire leg off it, sending it flying. The bright optic on the Colossus' head turned off; it was completely disabled.

Shepard stopped running, and looked forward. "Shit!" He exclaimed, as he saw multiple Geth troopers emerging from around a corner and prepare to open fire on him. He reached for his pistol when suddenly there was an explosion amongst them, sending parts of them flying everywhere. Assault rifle shots followed the explosion, firing in their direction. It was Grunt and Garrus, they had managed to find their way back, and were engaging the remaining Geth forces. Shepard took a sigh of relief, and headed towards the large door of the observatory.

Shepard scanned the locking mechanism with his omni-tool. After a short while Grunt and Garrus reached him; they had finished clearing the area of the remaining Geth. For the first time since they arrived, shots and explosions could not be heard; there was silence.

"We got here just in time, these Geth were almost done hacking into this door." Shepard told them.

Grunt observed the mangled wreckage of the Colossus nearby, still smoldering. "Damn Shepard, you do beautiful work." He said amused, but with obvious pride in Shepard, his Battlemaster, in his voice. Shepard still picked at his omni-tool, working on opening the door.

"Alright, I should have this opened in about—" Shepard stopped talking as he heard the feint roaring of a Geth drop ship in the distance. He turned around and saw one quickly approaching their position. "Damn it! Incoming Geth, get ready!" Shepard yelled, and he was about to reach for his weapon when he stopped himself. "Wait… what is that..?" He asked, observing a blue light in the sky; it was rapidly intensifying. Suddenly a blue beam emerged from the light, blasting straight into the center of the distant Geth drop ship, utterly splitting it into two pieces that came crashing down.

"Probability of the Observatory being damaged was 0.0%, per your instructions, Shepard." EDI said over Shepard's communicator. The blast had come from the Normandy's main canon, still in the planet's orbit. He grinned as he turned around and finished getting the door to the observatory open.

The large blast door rumbled as it opened. Shepard ran inside, quickly scanning the area with his eyes. He then saw Tali, kneeled behind some cover with her pistol in her hands, pointing in his direction. "Tali! There you are!"

"Shepard?" Tali responded in surprise, standing up and putting her gun away. She ran to him quickly and threw her arms around him, utterly relieved and surprised at his arrival. They embraced tightly. "I should have known you were out there, when I heard the amount of explosions and gunfire double." She said as they held each other. Tali was so happy to see Shepard; it had been weeks since their last encounter, and he had been on her mind every moment since.

Grunt and Garrus entered the observatory, and saw them embracing. "Just an old crewmember, huh?" Grunt said, looking at Garrus. Garrus just shrugged and gave him a confused, somewhat amused look.

"Heh, I get the feeling that you're leaving with Shepard." Kal'Reeger said, walking into the observatory with a slight limp.

"Reeger! You're alive!" Tali said happily. "But yes, I'm leaving with Shepard. I saw this mission to the end just as I promised to. If the Admirals have a problem with it, they can go to hell."

"I'll send the data to the Admirals then. Shepard, she's all yours now, take care of her." Kal'Reeger responded.

"Alright guys, let's get out of here. Lead the way to the shuttle." Shepard said, and they all began to move out. Kal'Reeger departed from the group, while Garrus and Grunt walked in front, leading the group to the shuttle.

Tali and Shepard followed behind them, holding each other's hands as they walked.


	4. Chapter 4

The shuttle was flying upwards through Haestrom's atmosphere, en route to the Normandy. Tali was sitting next to Shepard on the shuttle; she had made sure that they sat next to each other when they got on. The crewmembers engaged in some light conversation on their trip back to the ship. Garrus and Tali chatted some, catching up on each other's lives over the past two years.

They were finally out of the planet's atmosphere, and were approaching the Normandy. Tali suddenly saw the ship out the window. "Shepard, is that your ship? It looks almost exactly like the Normandy!" She said, astonished.

"Yes, that's our ship. Its design was based on the original Normandy's specifications, so it's very similar, but it's gotten a few upgrades," Shepard responded.

"It looks so much larger than the first one."

"That is correct Tali'Zorah, the Normandy SR2 is roughly twice the mass of the original Normandy." EDI's voice was heard through the shuttle's speaker.

"Who is that?" Tali asked.

"That's… uh, EDI." Shepard responded, unsure how Tali would feel about an A.I. on the ship.

"I am the Normandy's artificial intelligence. The crewmembers like to refer to me as EDI."

"The Normandy has an A.I.? An _A.I._?" Tali asked in disbelief.

"Tali, I know how you must feel. I was unsure about her at first too, but I've come to trust her, and I really think you will too. Besides, she's proven to be incredibly helpful on missions."

"I… don't know Shepard; my people know the dangers of A.I.s better than anyone." Tali said with uncertainty. "But… if you trust that she's safe, I won't question your judgment. It's never let me down before," she added; Shepard just smiled.

The Normandy's docking doors opened as the shuttle approached. The shuttle entered, and landed in the docking area of the ship.

"Hey Tali, I'm going to go to my quarters and get out of this gear. I also need to type up a mission report, so I'm going to be busy for a bit." Shepard said as they got up and walked out of the shuttle. "But, feel free to check out the Normandy."

"Alright, Shepard," Tali responded, feeling disappointed; she had spent the trip on the shuttle imagining Shepard showing her around his ship himself.

"I'll send a message to Miranda to give you security clearance to access the ship's systems." Shepard said while typing into his omni-tool, as Tali and him walked through the docking area. Meanwhile Grunt and Garrus stayed behind on the shuttle, gathering the grenade launchers and extra ammunition they had taken on the mission, to return them to the armory.

"I remember hearing that name on Freedom's Progress. Is Miranda your XO?" Tali asked.

"Yeah, she's my second-in-command. I don't think you'll find her as… friendly, as Pressly was. But she's a good officer; you can always count on her to get the job done."

Tali felt nervous about being on this ship. Miranda was just one of many people who were a mystery to her. She hardly knew any of the crew, and she was worried about being around so many Cerberus crew members. She really just wanted to stay with Shepard; he was the only reason she was here.

They finally reached the elevator in the docking area. "Main engineering is on Deck 4. Donnelly and Daniels should be on duty right now; they'll be able to answer any questions you have on the ship's systems. Although, I'm sure in no time they'll be the ones asking you." Shepard told Tali, giving her a reassuring smile. He figured she probably felt a little nervous about being on the ship. "I promise you'll get along great with them, they're very polite."

They got on the elevator, and it moved up to Deck 4. "Tali, if you need to see me for any reason, I'll be on Deck 1. That's where my quarters are."

"Thank you, Shepard. I'll… see you later." She responded and gave him a quick hug. She got out of the elevator, and its door closed; Shepard was gone, and Tali was now alone. She sighed, and stepped through the door to main engineering. She missed Shepard already.

A few hours had passed, and Tali once again stepped out of the elevator, only this time she was on Deck 1, looking at the door to Shepard's private quarters. She didn't want to disturb him, but she figured he was done with his work by now. She stepped forward and walked towards the door.

She raised her hand to knock, when the door automatically opened in front of her. _"Just like Shepard, keeping his door open for his crewmembers at all times," _she thought to herself, and walked inside. She was impressed by the size of the area, and smiled when she saw Shepard's numerous model ships over his desk. Her eyes scanned the area, but Shepard was nowhere to be found. She was about to leave to look for him in another area of the ship, when she noticed his fish tank.

Tali gasped, and immediately headed to the fish tank. She had never seen anything like it before; she had never even seen fish in person. She put her hands up on the glass, and just gazed at them. They were so beautiful, the way they floated there, there fins flowing as they swam; their colors were so bright and exotic. Any kind of pet was virtually non-existent on the Flotilla, and maintaining an aquatic environment for anything beyond drinking was utterly unheard of. Tali's jaw hung open as she stared with delight at these gorgeous, graceful creatures in front of her, magically floating behind the glass.

The moment was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a door opening, but it wasn't the door she had come in through, it sounded like a much smaller door. She turned around, and saw Shepard emerging from his private washroom. He held a towel to the back of his head, rubbing his hair dry with it. He was completely naked.

"KEELAH!" Tali yelled, turning back around and looking away. Shepard quickly wrapped the towel around his waist. "Shepard! Oh Keelah… I'm sorry! I'm so sorry. I, I'll go!" She exclaimed with much embarrassment, beginning to head towards the door, making sure to look away as she walked.

"Tali, it's okay!" Shepard said as he took her arm to keep her from leaving, his other hand holding his towel. "Tali, stay. Give me a second to put some pants on, at least. Please don't leave." He let go of her arm and headed towards his clothes locker. She stood near the fish tank, making sure to look away from the rest of the cabin.

"Shepard I didn't mean to… I just wanted to say hello and your door opened automatically so I came in, but I didn't see you. Then I saw your fish and they were so beautiful… I had never seen fish before—on the Flotilla we don't have any fish and I couldn't help myself—I didn't realize you were in your washroom, I didn't even know you had one, I thought you were somewhere else on the ship and I just didn't mean to—" Shepard had finished putting on some pants and interrupted her nervous chatter by putting his hand on her shoulder, gently guiding her to turn around.

"Tali… It's okay, really." He told her again, being as reassuring as possible, looking straight at her eyes. Tali took in a deep breath and exhaled, calming herself. "It was my fault, I left the door open. No one ever comes up here, so I don't even bother locking it." Shepard said as he took her hands and smiled. "You're really cute when you starting babbling like that, though."

"I'm… I was nervous. I talk a lot when I'm nervous…" Tali stuttered.

"Come on, have a seat," he said, gesturing towards his couch, gently tugging on her arm to encourage her. Tali nervously walked to the couch and sat down, holding both her hands together as she sat there. She looked at Shepard as he walked back towards his clothes locker; she noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. She had never seen him shirtless before, and couldn't help but admire his torso's muscular appearance. His arm and back muscles bulged slightly as he dug through his locker, looking for a shirt. Tali also couldn't help but notice several scars throughout his body. It was obvious that Shepard had seen much conflict in his life.

Shepard finally grabbed a shirt from his locker, and headed towards the couch as he slipped it on over his head, pulling it down. He dropped down on the couch, right next to Tali. There was an awkward silence for a short while. Shepard finally broke it by quietly laughing.

"You better not be laughing at me…" Tali said.

"Come on, I know better than that. You'd probably rig my terminal to explode or something. I'm just laughing at the situation; you have to admit it was pretty funny."

"No, it was just embarrassing."

"Tali, you're making me feel bad. Do I really look that bad?"

"No! No, Shepard, Keelah no. I didn't mean it like that. You're actually very… um, you don't… you're… you look, good..." Tali mumbled, caught off guard by the question, fearing Shepard had actually gotten offended.

Shepard smiled. "I was just playing with you, Tali. I know what you meant," he said, scooting closer to her. He positioned his arm so that he could wrap it around her, and she immediately arched her back, so that his arm could easily move around her torso. As soon as his arm was around her, he gave her a tight squeeze. She leaned her head down, and rested it against his shoulder. She could only feel the cushioning material on the inside of her helmet, but she was happy to know it was Shepard's shoulder her head was resting on.

"So, what do you think of the new Normandy?" Shepard asked, changing the subject.

"I'm… impressed. It's even more advanced than before. Say what you will about Cerberus, but they know how to build ships. I was also pleasantly surprised by Donnelly and Daniels in engineering. They were very friendly, and they definitely know what they're doing."

"Yeah, I liked those two since I first met them. I figured you'd get along well with them, but I'm glad to hear it from you. Did you look at the rest of the ship?"

"I saw most of it. I was very nervous at first, being on a Cerberus ship, but I feel a lot better now. Everyone I met was very polite. I'm glad I joined your crew." Tali said as she took Shepard's hand, gently squeezing it. "Even if they weren't polite… I'd still be happy to have joined you."

Shepard smiled, and returned Tali's gentle squeeze with his hand. "I can pretty much guarantee you wouldn't need to worry about people being rude to you, Tali."

"Oh? Why is that? Because I happen to be… good friends with the captain?" She giggled softly, looking up at Shepard.

"Actually, I was thinking because you're simply a sweet, enjoyable person to be around. But that's a good point, too. You are, after all, very good friends with the Captain…" He answered, grinning, as he looked down at her mask; at her faintly glowing eyes.

"So… um, just… how good of friends…" Tali began to ask slowly, cautiously; Shepard could hear a gulp amidst her pause. "…are we, exactly, Shepard?" Tali's hand was squeezing Shepard's tightly, she was nervous.

Tali wanted to talk about this since they departed on Freedom's Progress. That night was so strange, and their feelings came out so quickly; there were so many other factors as well. She needed to know what Shepard's exact feelings for her were. She needed to know that they were completely genuine, and not influenced by the emotion or drama that night; or by whatever happened to him over those two years he was gone.

"You want to talk about 'us,' Tali?"

"Yes… I'd like that. That night on Freedom's Progress was just… unusual. I, I know what my feelings were—what they are. They've been there for so long. I began to have feelings for you so quickly after I met you, and by the end of our mission against Saren, I really felt… in love with you." Tali paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "What I'm getting at, Shepard, is that when I confessed my feelings for you back on Freedom's Progress… they were truly genuine. After you… died, they never stopped being there, they were just sealed away. I assumed they would be forever, but when I saw you alive, standing there in front of me, and they all instantly came back."

Tali was still squeezing his hand tightly; it was her anchor. "But… what about you, Shepard? Are you sure you… want me? On Freedom's Progress you told me about how you felt, before you died, but… it's been two years. I don't really know what you've experienced, if anything, in all that time." Tali looked at Shepard, eagerly waiting for his response.

"Those two years Cerberus spent rebuilding me, I was completely unconscious the entire time. I didn't experience anything. It was like… when you go asleep, in one moment your eyes close, and then when they open again, several hours have passed; yet you never experienced that time. Tali, the 'me' you saw that night on Freedom's Progress, that confessed to having feelings for you…" Shepard paused, smiling as he looked at Tali. "…was the exact same 'me' you knew two years ago. I had feelings for you then, and… I have feelings for you now."

Tali sighed, and rested her head on Shepard's shoulder again, cuddling in closely against him; she felt relieved to hear it. Shepard gently gave her body a squeeze with his arm. "Good… it makes me, really happy to hear that," Tali said quietly. They sat like that for a short while, simply enjoying each other's presence. Tali could feel Shepard hand caressing her side.

"So, um… since we both, you know, have feelings for each other. Does that mean… we're, uh… 'together'?" Tali asked nervously. She felt stupid asking that question; she felt like she should know the answer, but she just wasn't sure. She had no experience with any of this; she needed to ask.

Shepard chuckled quietly at her question. Then he reached over with his free arm, positioned it under her knees and lifted her up, pulling her in close so that she sat up on his lap. She instinctively cuddled in closely as soon as she was on his lap, putting her arms around his neck, holding herself close to him.

"Are you asking if we're 'officially' a couple, Tali?" Shepard said with some amusement in his voice. He couldn't help be slightly amused with how cute she was; with her nervousness. It was just ironic how such a smart, intelligent person had to ask something so obvious.

"Um… well, yes…"

Shepard just looked at her for a moment, thinking of a good way to answer. He then brought up his hand with his index finger extended, kissed the end of it, and pressed it against the mouthpiece of her mask; right on the little light that flashed when she spoke. "Yes we are. Well, I certainly hope that we are, Tali."

Tali felt a sudden flutter of butterflies in her stomach at seeing his sweet gesture, and hearing his words. All she could think to do was hug him tightly. She was so happy to hear that Shepard and her were together; she had never been in a relationship with anyone. Shepard was her very first romantic partner, and she never imagined having such a wonderful man be hers, all hers. It was just so perfect; it almost felt too good to be true.

They held each other tightly for a long time. The quiet humming of the ship was all that could be heard, until Shepard finally disturbed the quiet. "So, Tali… any suggestions on what I should do with my new, wonderful, Quarian girlfriend?" He said with noticeable happiness in his voice; chuckling lightly after his question.

Tali absolutely loved hearing him refer to her as his 'girlfriend', she had never held that title before, and it brought her so much happiness and excitement to hear it. She giggled at his question, and she immediately knew the right answer. "Yes, I think you should kiss her…"

Shepard was surprised by her suggestion. "Won't you get sick?"

"A little… but I don't think the reaction will be very bad. I was recently sick, so my immune system will be stronger than usual, and I have antibiotics I can take."

"Are you sure you want to, Tali? I don't want to risk your health."

"Yes, Shepard. I'm sure of this," Tali replied, giving him a gentle squeeze with her arms. "You're not going to tell me I can't have a kiss from my boyfriend, are you?" She added in a happy, cute tone. Just as she loved hearing him refer to her as his girlfriend, she loved getting to refer to him as her boyfriend. "And… I think he should finally get to see my face…"

Shepard grinned upon hearing her words; he knew she was sure of what she wanted. He removed his arm from around her back, and placed his hand gently on one side of her mask. He then brought up his other hand, placing it on the opposite side. Tali instinctively placed her hands on top of Shepard's. She didn't try to stop him, but she couldn't help the defensive reaction of protecting her mask from being removed.

Tali's heart was racing; her face had never been revealed to anyone, and the prospect of someone—even someone she loved—seeing her face made her very nervous. She wanted Shepard to see her; she wanted him to be the first to look upon her face. But what if he was disappointed? What if he didn't find her attractive? What if he even found her ugly? She was originally excited over the thought of Shepard seeing her face, but now that it was about to happen, she was feeling scared and self-conscious.

There was the sound of the mask releasing, and for a second she observed the purple visor in front of her moving independently of her head—a rare sight—and then it was gone. She was now looking at Shepard's face, and he was looking at hers, with no mask in the way. Shepard was the first person to see her face since she was a child; and the only one to ever see her adult face. Tali felt terrified. She had no idea what he was thinking, and she was so afraid of him being disappointed. And suddenly, with one simple facial expression from Shepard, all her fear completely vanished: he smiled.

Shepard was looking at her face, with no mask in the way, and he was smiling lovingly at her; he was happy with what he was looking at. Tali, for the first time in her life… felt beautiful; she felt desired. Her positive emotions overwhelmed her, and she quickly moved forward and pressed her lips against his and began kissing him. She had never kissed anyone in her life and she wasn't sure what she was doing; all she could think to do was what felt natural. She found herself eagerly sucking on his lips with each kiss. She couldn't believe how soft another's lips felt against hers. She loved how the slightest amount of suction from her lips would lightly tug on his. Kissing Shepard was incredible; the entire moment was amazing, but she found herself wanting more.

Tali's lips parted from Shepard's for a moment. She leaned back and pulled her hood back. She then placed her hands on each side of her helmet, unlocked it, took it off, and let it drop to the floor. Once it was off she pulled her hair out of the neck part of her suit, letting it flow around her shoulders. Tali moved back in and continued kissing him, now with nothing covering her head. Shepard let gravity take over, and let his body lower unto the couch until he was just lying on his back, with Tali on top of him, both of them kissing passionately. Soft, quiet moans could be heard coming from her, amidst their kissing. Shepard's hand was on the back of her head, gently caressing it and running through her hair.

Tali positioned her knees on each side of Shepard; her pelvis was right above his. Their bodies were pressed against one another; their intimate areas were rubbing against each other. Tali's soft, quiet moans from their kissing intensified and her breathing got heavier, exclaiming her sexual pleasure. She couldn't help herself; she kept pushing her hips down, grinding against Shepard over and over, harder and faster. It felt incredible, and that was just through her suit… she could only imagine how it would feel with nothing in the way.

With that thought, she parted her lips from Shepard once again and stood up on her knees. Her hands came up and unhooked the metal clasp below her neck that held her hood together. She then lowered her hands and unhooked each of the three straps that wrapped around her torso. The purple fabric that adorned her suit immediately loosened. She was obviously preparing to take off her suit.

Shepard put his hands on Tali's wrists, stopping her from continuing. She just looked down at him, right at his eyes. "Tali, are you… removing your suit?" Tali couldn't speak, she just quickly nodded at him in response. She was still breathing heavily. "Is that… safe? Taking off your helmet for a kiss is one thing, but getting out of your suit for... 'more' just seems, dangerous, Tali."

Tali inhaled and let out a big sigh, relaxing her arms, which Shepard was still gently holding on to. She then spoke, very quietly and softly. "It is. It's very dangerous. I… I got carried away. I'm sorry Shepard. I just, I… I'm sorry…" Tali didn't even know what she was apologizing for, she just couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Hey, hey… you have nothing to be sorry about," Shepard said in a gentle, understanding voice. He delicately placed his hand on her face, caressing her cheek. Tali placed her hand on his, and kissed his palm.

"I… I can—it _is_ possible—for me to get out of my suit and… share myself with you, Shepard. There are ways I can temporarily improve my immune system. I just need some time, to do research. I'll find a way.... I promise." Tali said with a lot of emotion in her voice. Shepard could tell she was near tears.

"That wasn't even on my mind Tali. But… take all the time you need; I want you to be completely ready, and safe." He said, smiling at her. "Now, come here, give me a kiss, and put your helmet back on."

Tali immediately leaned back down, pressing her lips against Shepard's for one more, long, intimate kiss. Shepard's hands rubbed her back while they kissed. Their lips then slowly parted, and their eyes locked on each others. "Come on Miss Zorah, put your helmet on before you get sick."

"I'm already going to get sick, but… you're right. It'll be a lot worse if I stay like this." Tali responded, and gave him one quick, final kiss. She then got up and grabbed her helmet and mask from the floor. She tucked her hair back into her suit, locked the helmet in, and placed the mask back over her face. Shepard was still lying down, looking at her standing in front of the couch. The fabric that adorned her suit was completely loose and out of place, but she didn't care. She got back on the couch, lying on top of Shepard; she rested her head on his chest.

They just laid together for a long time. Neither of them spoke; they just rested together, enjoying the quiet, and each other's company. They were both very comfortable. After a while Tali felt her eyes getting heavy and she began to doze off, but she suddenly heard a very quiet snoring coming from Shepard. She lifted her head to look at him, to see if he was asleep, but as soon as she moved he awoke; his military life had long stripped him of the ability to sleep very heavily, he always needed to be alert. He smiled sleepily, seeing Tali looking at him, and yawned.

"Did you fall asleep?" She knew he did, it was obvious from his yawn, and from the relaxed look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I dozed off. I always feel a little drained after missions. Plus… I'm very comfortable right now."

"If you're tired, Shepard, maybe I should let you get some rest. It's late anyway, I should go… you know, to my sleep pod, and get some rest, too." Despite the moment they had shared together, Tali didn't want to just assume it would be alright for her to stay and sleep in Shepard's quarters; though she really wanted to.

"Sleep pod? You think I'm going to send my girlfriend to sleep in one of those cramped pods when I got a nice big bed I can share with her?" Shepard asked rhetorically, smiling at her. It was exactly the reaction she hoped for.

"I didn't want to assume… but, I would really like to sleep here, with you."

Shepard then playfully grabbed Tali and got up off the couch, holding her in his arms. Tali giggled as he carried her to his bed, and gently lowered her on it. He joined her, dropping down right next to her. She immediately put her arms around him and cuddled in closely. They both sighed, nearly at the same time, as they relaxed in each other's arms.

"You know, Shepard, today seemed kind of familiar," Tali commented.

"How so?"

"Earlier today I found myself in a bad situation. Then a dashing Commander appeared out of nowhere, rescued me, and let me join his crew," she explained.

"Hah, I guess today was pretty similar to when we first met, wasn't it?"

"Yes, today was similar, but… this day is ending much better than that one; better than any day in my life, really." Tali said, giving Shepard a tight hug. He returned her hug, and they spent the rest of the night embraced in each other's arms, eventually falling asleep, cuddled together.

They had finally reunited that day, and now, as they lay embraced in each other's arms, they were finally together.


	5. Chapter 5

A shuttle was flying through the Flotilla, flying past hundreds of ships that made up only a fraction of the vast Migrant Fleet. Its destination was the Alarei, a research vessel. Shepard and Tali were sitting aboard the shuttle, by themselves.

They had come to the Flotilla earlier to face Tali's charges of treason. Only Shepard and Tali had been permitted unto the Rayya, the ship where her trial was taking place. Due to the severity of the charges, and the fact that they came aboard a Cerberus vessel, the Rayya's captain decided only the accuser, and her captain, would be allowed to board the ship.

Shortly after they arrived, Tali discovered that she had been stripped of her ship name. She was no longer referred to as Tali'Zorah vas Neema, but Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. It wasn't long after her trial began that the nature of her charges was made clear. She was being accused of bringing active Geth components to the Migrant Fleet; to the research vessel her father was on, the Alarei. She was accused of negligence that threatened the Fleet.

Tali had listened with dread as it was revealed to her that the Geth components had reanimated, replicated, and were able to seize control of Alarei. The Geth presumably killed everyone aboard the ship, including her father, Rael'Zorah. Shepard decided right then that the trial had to be put on hold, and their first priority was to secure the Alarei and look for Tali's father. The Admirals agreed, and they were sent on their way on a Quarian shuttle.

Tali was sitting next to Shepard on the shuttle, with her head on his shoulder; his arm was wrapped around her torso in a comforting manner. She needed to be comforted; a great deal of terrible news had been dumped on her just moments ago.

"How are you doing, Tali? I… can't imagine how you must feel. Even before they told you about your dad, they threw a lot of fire at you." Shepard asked; these were the first words spoken since they boarded the shuttle.

"I knew it was going to be bad… but it was much worse than I expected. They stripped me of my ship name, they accused me of threatening the Fleet, they… they told me my father is dead…" Tali's voice broke up slightly as she finished her sentence. "But--they don't know that for certain! He could still be alive! My father knows how to handle Geth!"

Shepard just gave her a gentle squeeze with his arm. "We'll find him. If anyone can handle the Geth on that ship, he can. He's the one who taught and trained you, after all."

"Thank you, Shepard. I… I hope so." Tali responded, quietly.

Tali had a great deal on her mind, and Shepard knew it. After a short moment of silence, he decided to try and change the subject from her trial; maybe discussing something else will make her feel better.

"Hey Tali… this may not be the best time to ask this, but maybe I should know for when we find your dad." Shepard made sure to carefully choose his words; he spoke in a way that excluded the possibility of her dad being dead. "Have you told him… about 'us'? I want to know if I should expect to dodge punches when we find him."

Tali let out a quiet laugh; Shepard was glad to hear she found it humorous. "No I haven't. I've been… somewhat scared to tell him. I'm really not sure what he'd think about us being together. If anyone will impress him, it's you, but… I just don't know how he'd feel about me being with someone who isn't, you know, a Quarian; someone who isn't part of the Fleet."

"I understand. All the more reason to take out the Geth and get him out of there safely. It'd be a good way to make a positive first impression," Shepard said in a positive tone, continuing to try and help Tali feel better.

Tali tilted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. Shepard had kept his helmet on so as to prevent any contamination aboard the Fleet, so his helmet blocked his face, but she could tell he was smiling; just from the look in his eyes. "I hope so. I just… really hope we find him. I know he was never what most would consider a very ideal father, but… he always took care of me, and he's still my father—my dad—I… don't want to lose him…"

Shepard took in a deep breath and exhaled, sighing. He then leaned towards Tali, and gently bumped his helmet with hers. "We'll find him, sweetheart." He brought up his index finger and touched his helmet, over where his lips would be, and then gently touched the mouthpiece of Tali's mask. This had been Shepard's way of symbolically kissing her, ever since it first occurred to him that night in his cabin. It didn't have the physical pleasure of a real kiss, but it was a reminder of his feelings for her; a reminder that she was worth the all physical limitations of their relationship. Tali always loved seeing it, and it made their actual kisses even more special when they happened.

The shuttle suddenly stopped moving. It was now docked in one of the Alarei's docking stations. They had reached their destination. Their mission was now starting; Shepard stood up, and immediately went into his 'commander mode.'

"Alright Tali, it's just the two of us on this mission. We're going to be even more outnumbered than we usually are. Tali… I really need for you to be careful."

Tali found his words somewhat out of place. It almost seemed like he was concerned over her ability to handle the mission. "…Is something wrong, Shepard?"

"I'm just… concerned about you. I know you're strong—please be aware of that—and there is no one else I'd rather have with me when fighting Geth, but you've been through a lot today. You're under a lot of stress, and stress is dangerous on missions. I just want you to be safe." Shepard explained, hesitantly. He was worried about explaining his concern; he didn't want to inadvertently insult Tali or make her feel worse.

"I understand… your concern, Shepard. But I'm okay, really. We've been in a lot of battles together, you know I can handle this."

Shepard paused for a moment before responding. "Yeah… I do. You're right Tali. I didn't intend to sound like I question your ability. I know you can handle anything we find in there." Shepard put his hands on Tali's shoulders, looking right at her; she could once again tell he was smiling, just from his eyes. "You're amazing, babe, in every possible way."

Tali smiled under her mask at his comment, and she immediately put her arms around Shepard and hugged him tightly. Ever since their relationship began, hugging was something they did very often. It was important to them, since It was a physical expression of their love that was always safe and easy for them to do. They weren't like kisses, that could only be done in specific places—they could hug anywhere, anytime. Furthermore, her suit didn't matter when they hugged, it didn't interfere or get in the way; she could perfectly appreciate hugs through her suit.

"Come on Tali, let's go find your dad, and save this ship."

"Yes…. Captain." Tali replied in a playful tone. That was the bright side to currently being 'vas Normandy'; under Quarian customs, Shepard was officially her captain.

Shepard opened the door of the shuttle, and they proceeded to walk down the docking bridge. They reached the ship's airlock, and went through it, finally entering the Alarei. They walked down the initial corridor, observing multiple Quarian bodies; these were the Quarian marines that the Admirals had mentioned earlier.

They were met with a large concentration of Geth in the first room they entered, but they handled them with no problem. Tali stayed behind cover most of the time, using her omni-tool to sabotage their shields, overload their weapons, and disrupt their ally detection systems, causing them to fight each other. Meanwhile, Shepard unleashed his precise and devastating weapon attacks on them. He knew exactly when and where to shoot them. The Geth could hardly get close to them, and the few that did, were immediately met with shotgun blasts from Tali.

Shepard and Tali were accustomed to each other and knew how to work together; they had been on countless missions together. They were a team, they were partners; they fought as one. Ever since they became romantically involved, their synergy in battle had increased even further. They were always in tune with each other's thoughts; aware of the other's intentions and actions. They hardly even had to communicate with each other; it was as if they simply knew what the other was thinking at all times.

They continued fighting, destroying group after group of Geth as they progressed through the Alarei. They eventually descended some stairs, and found a sealed door that would lead to the ship's main bridge. The door wouldn't open, despite Tali's attempts at hacking it with her omni-tool.

"Shepard I can't get this door open. It looks like it was deliberately sealed." Tali said while typing into omni-tool.

"Perhaps your father sealed it? To keep the Geth out?"

"It's possible," Tali looked up from her omni-tool as she replied to Shepard. "Wait, I know. There was a terminal a few rooms back. I should be able to use it to get better access into the ship's systems and get this door open."

"Good idea, Tali. We've taken out all the Geth behind us. You go ahead and get this door open. I'll take some cover and engage whatever is behind it."

"I'll be back soon, get ready." They quickly hugged each other, and Tali ran off, backtracking to find the terminal she mentioned; Shepard watched her as she left. Once she was out of sight, he took some cover and held his assault rifle ready, aiming towards the door. A couple minutes passed, and he finally heard Tali on his communicator.

"Shepard, I'm at the terminal. I was right, this terminal will let me get the door open. Get ready, I'm going to open it."

Shepard's grip tightened on his weapon as he readied himself to attack any potential threats waiting beyond the door. It suddenly opened before him, but there was nothing behind it; just an empty corridor that terminated with the door to the ship's bridge.

"It's open. Good job, Tali. I'm heading in to investigate. Why don't you stay there a bit longer and see if you can find any data on what happened here?"

"Alright Shepard, can do."

Shepard emerged from his cover, and ran forward, entering the corridor that had been sealed. He suddenly heard weak coughing; it came from behind a door on the left side of the corridor. He immediately went through the door and entered a small room. Shepard saw a male Quarian lying at the end of it; there was a pool of blood under his body, but he was still breathing,

"Hey, are you alright?!" Shepard urgently asked as he ran to him. He kneeled down on one knee to look him over. The Quarian's breathing was very labored, and a slight wheezing could be heard amongst his anguished breaths. "Stay with me! I have some medi-gel." Shepard said, preparing his omni-tool to dispense the medi-gel. The Quarian raised his hand, placing it on Shepard's left arm, stopping him.

"Don't waste it… my lungs… were shot…" The Quarian suddenly coughed; Shepard observed multiple drops of blood spray unto the inside of his visor. Shepard knew coughing up blood was a bad sign. "…I'm already dead… It's just… a matter… of time…"

Perhaps it was his mature-sounding voice, or his vaguely familiar accent, or maybe just a combination of multiple factors, but it was at this moment that Shepard knew that this was Tali's father. "Are you Rael'Zorah?"

The Quarian coughed again. "Yes… I'm Rael…"

Shepard immediately called Tali on his communicator. "Tali, I found your father! Come quick, he's hurt!"

"I'm on my way Shepard!" She urgently responded; her voice heavy with concern.

Shepard heard a very strained and weak laugh, mixed with small coughs, come from Rael. "…Shepard…?" Rael asked, as he raised his head to get a better look at him. "So… this is Tali's famous…" he coughed loudly, "…pilgrimage captain."

"Yes, I'm him," Shepard responded quietly; he was unsure of what else to say.

Rael coughed once again. Shepard could hear slight gargling in his throat amidst his coughs. It was obvious he was bleeding internally; his lungs and throat were filling with blood. Rael attempted to sit up, but struggled to do so. Shepard helped him up so that he could sit up against the wall.

"She… talked so much… about you. After her pilgrimage… she drove me crazy." Rael said, once again attempting to weakly laugh, but all that came out was coughing and wheezing. "She was so depressed… when she thought… you were dead. I hadn't… seen her like that… since her mother died…"

Shepard just stood still, kneeled on one knee, attentively looking at Rael. There was a lot of sadness in Shepard's eyes. He was no stranger to seeing others dying; he was no stranger to hearing the final words of another person. But this was the saddest dying moment he had ever observed. He didn't dare say anything to interrupt Rael.

"My daughter… my… Tali… I promised her a house… on the home world. I… promised too much. I… I failed her…" Rael grabbed Shepard's arm again, and looked right at him. "She has… she cares for you. She… never said so, but… a father… just knows… these things. It's why I sent… that message; when she joined… your crew." Rael once again coughed loudly, sprinkling more blood unto his visor. Many of the droplets on his mask accumulated sufficiently to begin rolling down, leaving feint red trails as they moved.

"You are… you're all she has… now. Take… take care… of her… please…" Rael's breathing was extremely labored by this point. He was at the end of his life. "Tell… her… I… I… Love……"

Rael exhaled loudly, but did he not inhale again; his breathing had stopped. The hand that was holding Shepard's arm dropped, and his head tilted to his side. His body followed, sliding down the wall, collapsing unto the floor. Rael'Zorah was now dead.

"Father!" Shepard heard from behind him. Tali had just now gotten there, and ran straight towards Rael's body. Tali dropped to her knees next to him, horrified to see his body collapsed on the floor, on top of a pool of blood. She shook his shoulders. "No! No, no… you can't be dead! They're wrong! You wouldn't just die like this! You wouldn't!" Tali yelled, her voice filled with sadness and desperation; she was on the brink of tears.

Shepard put his hand on Tali's shoulder, very gently pulling back on it. She immediately turned around and threw her arms around him, holding him tightly. She began to weep as Shepard held her. "Damn it… Damn it!" Tali cried out.

"It's okay, it's okay... It'll be alright Tali," Shepard said quietly, just holding her. He knew his words were incapable of relieving her pain; there are never any words that can fix moments like this. The only purpose of his words were to remind her that he was there, and he supported her.

"Why did he… at the Terminal, I saw some research data… these were all his experiments! I… I think he's responsible—how, how could he do all this?!" Tali bitterly cried out as Shepard held her. He didn't say anything in response; he knew it was best to just comfort her, and let her say whatever she needed to say.

"Come on Tali… you don't need to see your father like this. Let's move out of this room, at least; come on Tali," Shepard said, gently encouraging her to walk out of the room with him. She looked over her shoulder at her father's body while they walked. They stepped out of the room, and the door closed behind them.

Shepard took her hands, but didn't say anything. They stood there for a short while, just holding each other's hands, until Tali finally spoke. "When you called me, you only said he was hurt. Was he alive when you found him? Did he… say anything?"

"Yes, Tali, he was still alive. He did say some things." Shepard felt Tali's hands grip tighter upon hearing his response.

"Did he mention m—what… did he say…?"

Shepard thought about how best to respond. Should he bring up when Rael talked about his lung wounds? Or maybe how Tali had talked about Shepard after her pilgrimage? No, none of these were right; they weren't appropriate right now. Shepard knew what to say, "He… talked about his daughter," Shepard looked up, right at Tali's eyes. "He talked about you, Tali. He mentioned that he promised you a house on your home world, and he lamented that he wouldn't be able to keep that promise. And right before he… passed away, he wanted me to tell you that he… loved you."

Tali's eyes watered up, and she began crying quietly as she put her arms around Shepard once more, holding him tightly. "He never once told me that. I've never heard it for myself. I… I just, I wish…" her crying prevented her from finishing her sentence. She just wept quietly for a while, in Shepard's embrace.

A few minutes passed with them like that. Shepard didn't want to disrupt her mourning, but he had to; they were still on a mission. They found her father, but they needed to finish saving the Alarei; and they had to find evidence to clear Tali's name. "Tali… I know this is a really difficult time for you, but we have to keep moving. We need to finish this mission," he said hesitantly. As Tali's boyfriend and companion, he wanted to give her all the time she needed. But as commander of the mission, he knew they had to continue.

Tali gave him a final tight squeeze, and sighed, letting go. "You're right, Shepard. We need to keep moving. The admirals will decide we're dead if we take much longer." There was a quiet sniffle at the end of her sentence.

"While I was at the terminal I found data that revealed that the Geth main hub is on the bridge, just up ahead. We need to disable it to deactivate any remaining Geth," Tali explained.

"That's our goal then. Maybe we'll find some data that can clear your name there, too."

Shepard reached behind his back, and took out assault rifle as he walked towards the door at the end of the corridor, which lead to the main bridge. He turned his head and looked at Tali, who was standing just behind him. She looked back, and simply nodded her head once. With that, he turned back around, slammed his hand on the button that opened the door and ran inside, quickly assessing the enemies in the room. There were only a handful of Geth inside, but among them was a Geth Prime—the largest and most powerful of Geth infantry; it was guarding the main hub. Both Shepard and Tali immediately took cover as they ran in. Shepard began opening fire from around his cover, while Tali stayed down, typing into her omni-tool.

"There's a Geth Prime in here!" Tali yelled, looking at the readings of her omni-tool. All the Geth in the room were now shooting in their direction; rounds of ammunition impacted all around their cover.

"I see it. Can you hack it to attack the others?" Shepard replied as he leaned around his cover, returning fire.

"No, it has too many firewalls and defenses; It'll take too long. However I should be able to get its shields down."

"Hack the Geth closest to the Prime," Shepard ordered, "but don't knock out the Prime's shields, or send your drone in yet. Wait for my order!"

"Got it!" Tali responded and immediately continued typing into her omni-tool. In no time, one of the Geth suddenly turned to its side and began to attack the rest of them. All the other Geth turned to it, assessing the new threat.

This was Shepard's queue. He leaned around his cover as he pulled out his sniper rifle. He gripped it firmly and looked down its sights, taking careful aim. He pulled the trigger, and a large chunk of the head of one of the Geth exploded off; its body dropped to the ground as sparks and metal flew from it. Shepard ejected the thermal clip, turned slightly, and shot once more; another Geth's body dropped to the ground. The hacked Geth then followed; it had just now been destroyed by the others.

One of the remaining Geth tried to run around their cover to flank them, but it was immediately met with multiple shotgun blasts from Tali. After it was killed, there was just the Geth Prime left. This is what Shepard had intended; for all the weaker Geth to be killed first, leaving the Prime by itself.

Tali and Shepard were both back behind their cover. The Prime began to move towards them, also attempting to flank them; it was shooting repeatedly as it moved, launching rockets in between its assault rifle bursts. Shepard turned to Tali, "Alright Tali, pop its shields, and send your drone in! Make sure the drone gets behind it… I need the Prime's back exposed to us."

"Right, I'm on it!" Tali immediately responded and got to work on her omni-tool. She wasn't exactly sure what Shepard's plan was, but it didn't matter. She had learned long ago that she never needed to worry about his orders. They always had a purpose; he always had a plan.

After a few short seconds of Tali using her omni-tool, there was a flash of light and a zapping sound; the Prime's shields were now down. "Go get it, Chikktika!" Tali yelled, sending her combat drone in. Chikktika immediately positioned itself behind the Prime, and began to unleash its electrical shocks. The Prime turned around to face its attacker, just as Shepard wanted.

Shepard moved out behind his cover, and once again held up his sniper rifle. He aimed slightly lower than before; he was aiming directly at the back of the Prime's right knee. Joints were always a weak point, and the back of the knee was especially lightly armored. He shot, and a flash of sparks erupted from the Prime's knee, badly damaging it. The Prime momentarily lost balance, but managed to stay up. Shepard ejected the thermal clip, and fired again, right in the exact same spot the first shot hit. This time, the Prime's entire knee joint was destroyed, and its lower leg fell off. The Prime lost its balance and fell, landing on its back. Much like with the YMIR Heavy Mech back on Freedom's Progress, Shepard chose to exploit a weak point; completely bypassing all its armor and defenses.

Shepard dropped his sniper rifle and ran towards the fallen Prime. He had to be quick; the Prime was immobilized, but it was still a threat. He reached it, pulled out his shotgun, and immediately fired at the Prime's optic sensor; the barrel of Shepard's shotgun was the last image stored unto its video memory banks. He then shot It again, and again; repeatedly blasting it until the thermal clip reached capacity.

Its head had received massive damage; it was a mangled mess, with pieces of metal falling from it and sparks shooting out, but the Prime was still moving slightly. It was still active, but on the brink of death. Tali approached it, pointed her shotgun, and dealt the final shot. All of the Prime's movements stopped; it was now fully deactivated.

Shepard stepped forward, walking around the disabled Prime, and looked at the large terminal in front of him. "I'm assuming this is their central hub?" He asked.

Tali approached and stood next to Shepard. She typed into her omni-tool, scanning it over. "Yes, this is it. I'll disable it; that'll deactivate any Geth we might have missed," she said, and continued typing into her omni-tool, disabling the hub. "Wait, there's some kind of video log here." She poked at her omni-tool a few more times, and suddenly a video began playing on the hub's screen.

The log showed her father, as well as two other Quarian researchers. They discussed their experiments with the Geth. Among their discussion, one of the researchers suggested having Tali bring back more complete Geth parts, but Rael sternly objected to the suggestion, stressing he didn't want Tali to be in any risk of political blowback due to their illegal experiments. With his discussion in the video log, Rael took full responsibility for everything; he was even heard telling the others to bypass security protocols.

There was just silence after the video ended; Tali was speechless. Shepard looked at her for a few seconds, and finally spoke. "That… did not sound good. I'm… sorry, Tali," He paused for a moment, and continued, "But… this is exactly the evidence we need to clear your name…"

"I… this is all his fault… I didn't want to believe it, but this… when this comes out in the trial…" Tali was still staring at the blank monitor. She quickly turned to him. "Shepard, we can't tell the Admirals, we can't tell anyone! We can't… no one can know what he did!"

"What?" Shepard asked in disbelief. "Your father himself said he didn't want you to take any blame for this! Tali, without this evidence, you're looking at exile!"

"You think I don't know that?! You think I like knowing I'll never get to see the Fleet again? But I can't let my father go down as the worst war criminal in my people's history! I can't let him be remembered as a traitor, as some kind of monster, I cannot! At least if I'm exiled, it would only be for negligence—no one will remember that after a few years. But what my father did… we, we just can't let anyone know! It would never be forgotten among my people!"

Shepard took a deep breath and sighed. He couldn't stand the thought of Tali being falsely found guilty of treason. The thought of the embarrassment and shame that would be brought upon her at the trial just made him feel sick to his stomach. But he couldn't ignore Tali's plea; he couldn't ignore the sadness and desperation of her voice. "Tali, the thought of you being anyone's martyr… I don't like it. At all." Shepard paused, and sighed once more. "But… if it's what you truly want, if you're absolutely sure about this, I… I won't show them this evidence."

"Thank you… Shepard. I'm sure of this; this is what I want. I just… I can't let all the good my father has done be tossed aside and forgotten…" Tali said quietly. She lowered her head as she spoke.

Shepard put his hand on Tali's shoulder. She looked back up, right at him. "Whatever happens, Tali… you know you'll always have a place—a home—on the Normandy with me. Always."

Shepard moved his hand from her shoulder to her upper back, gently encouraging her to come in for a hug. She did so, putting her arms around him. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be, than with you," she said quietly as they held each other.

"Come on sweetie, let's get back to the Rayya. I think we've both had enough of this ship."


	6. Chapter 6

Shepard and Tali were now back at the Trial. They arrived just in time; the admirals had already started without them. They approached the defendant's spot, and stood before the panel of admirals.

"Tali'Zorah saved the Alarei. I hope this proves her loyalty to the Quarian people," Shepard immediately said. He was now back to being Tali's defense councilor, he made sure to speak boldly and with confidence.

"Her loyalty was never in question, only her judgment. We don't know what happened on the Alarei, but what we _do_ know is that Tali'Zorah _did_ transport Geth components to it." Admiral Koris responded.

"Did you find anything on the Alarei that could clarify what happened there?" Admiral Gerrel asked.

Shepard took a look at Tali, and then stepped closer, approaching the small rail that separated them from the platform where the admirals stood. Tali knew Shepard had promised not to show them her father's video log, and she trusted him, but she couldn't help feel nervous.

"Does Captain Shepard have any new evidence to submit to this hearing?" Shala'Raan asked. She was the one presiding over the trial, but could not take part in judgment due to her past with Tali and her parents.

Shepard paused for a short while before finally speaking, "Yes, I have evidence."

Tali's heart sunk. She couldn't believe what she just heard; Shepard was going to show them her father's audio log. He was going to break his promise; he was going to betray her. "Shepard—" she began to try and plea not to show them, but he just interrupted her by continuing speaking.

"Tali'Zorah herself is our evidence! You said this trial isn't about her loyalty, but her judgment? Her competence in sending back safe components? She helped me stop Saren and Sovereign at the Citadel! Without her, they would have won! That should be all the evidence you need!" Shepard said loudly. Tali was instantly relieved.

"I fail to see how that proves she didn't—" Admiral Koris began to say, but was immediately interrupted by Shepard.

"None of you are even interested in Tali are you? This trial is about the Geth! It has nothing to do with her!"

"This trial has nothing to do with the Geth!" Koris immediately countered.

"That's bullshit, and you know it! I talked with all of you before we left. Koris, you want people to sympathize with the Geth. Gerrel wants to go to war! Xen just sees them as a resource to be reclaimed! None of you care about Tali, you're all just using this trial as leverage for your own political agendas!"

Shepard paused for a short moment, and continued.

"Tali and I have fought more Geth than everyone in this room combined; she knows more about them than any other Quarian alive! Why do you think we succeeded in retaking the Alarei? If you want to figure out what to do about the Geth, you should be listening to her, not putting her on trial! Tali'Zorah saved the Citadel. She saved the Alarei!" Shepard paced back and forth as he spoke. "She was right there with me during the Battle of the Citadel. Everybody knows that Tali'Zorah, a Quarian, helped stop Saren! She showed the galaxy the value of the Quarian people."

Shepard put his hands on the rail in front of him, and looked right at the admirals.

"I can't think of stronger evidence than that." He finally concluded. He took a step back, and stood next to Tali as they looked at the admirals, awaiting their judgment.

The admirals looked at each other, and hesitated. After a short wait, they began to type into their omni-tools, casting their votes. Tali nervously held her hands together as she watched them render their judgment.

The admirals finished, and Raan looked at her omni-tool. She stared at it for an unusually long time, and then slowly lowered her arm.

"Tali'Zorah vas _Normandy_… despite your numerous accomplishments and years of service…" She began to say. Tali's heart felt like it stopped beating. With that one sentence, she already knew the outcome. The worst day of her life, had just gotten even worse.

"…We are unable to ignore the evidence we _do_ have." Raan continued. "There are numerous shipping logs and records that confirm you did send Geth parts and components to the Alarei. With no evidence to show otherwise, or even clarify exactly what happened there, the admirals can only conclude that these materials you sent were unsafe, and lead to Geth taking control of the ship."

Raan sighed before continuing. This was not easy for her to say; she knew Tali all her life, and had been a close family friend.

"You are hereby found guilty of treason against the Quarian people, and sentenced to exile. Tali'Zorah, you have six hours to leave. Would you like to request any personal possessions from the Fleet?"

"No… admiral. I… have everything I need here..." Tali responded; the sadness in her voice was very evident.

"This hearing is concluded. Go in peace, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Keelah se'lai."

Tali looked at Shepard; he was just standing there. He hadn't moved since he heard the admiral's decision. He had just been staring into empty space the whole time. He then shook his head, and suddenly looked up at the Admirals.

"Congratulations, admirals... you're responsible for the biggest mistake the Quarian people have made in the last three hundred years." There was a great deal of contempt in his voice; Shepard was absolutely livid.

"You go too far, Shepard!" Koris immediately snapped. "We will not let you insult the memory of our ancestors who died in the Geth War! You can't compare that to this!"

Shepard slammed his fist against the rail in front of him. "You're insulting their memory right now! You're casting away the most respected, accomplished Quarian in the galaxy! Two years ago, Saren, the Geth, and a _Reaper_ attacked the citadel. Tali and I were there, and we stopped them! How many of you have done that much?! If it weren't for Tali, the Reapers would have succeeded and we'd all be DEAD! She's a damned hero, and you're just throwing her away! You all fucking know she couldn't have done anything to endanger the Fleet!"

The admirals didn't say anything; there wasn't anything they could say. No one in the crowd dared make a sound. Shepard then abruptly turned around and began to walk, "Come on, Tali. We're leaving."

She turned around as well, and the two of them proceeded to walk out of the room. Everyone just watched them as they left. The room remained completely silent. Their footsteps were the only noise to be heard.

Shepard and Tali walked through the corridor that led to the docking bridge connected to the Normandy. They reached its gate, and Shepard stepped through, but Tali didn't. He turned around, and saw her looking back at the inside of the ship. She sighed, and turned back around slowly, following him into the docking bridge. She had taken one last look at the inside of Rayya, the ship she was born on; she will never get to see it again.

Shepard watched her and realized what was going through her mind as she took that last look. All the rage he had within him from the trial immediately dissipated; it was replaced by sympathy for Tali. He observed that she wasn't angry; she was just sad and sorrowful. Shepard sighed, and he put his arm around her as they walked down the bridge, towards the Normandy.

They stepped inside the Normandy's airlock, and the door behind them closed. An automatic decontamination cycle began. Shepard suddenly threw his hand against a button near the door, and the cycle stopped. He took off his helmet.

"Tali, I need to say something," Shepard said. "Look, I… I'm sorry. I just… I tried my best, I really did. I said everything I could think of. But it just wasn't good enough; I wasn't good enough. Those damn admirals wanted evidence, and we couldn't give it to them. There's always supposed to be another way; every problem always has more than one solution. I just… I don't know else I could have done." Shepard was noticeably upset. He moved around as he talked; he was unsettled and restless. Tali had never seen him this upset before. No matter what was wrong, he always managed to stay calm; but this time was different.

Tali observed Shepard as he spoke. He genuinely felt like he failed her, and it upset him greatly. She watched as he talked, as he fidgeted about in the airlock, apologizing to her. He cared for her so much; it was evident now more than at any other time. It almost seemed like he was more upset by the outcome of the trial than she was. Tali suddenly extended her hand, and gently placed it on Shepard's cheek.

"I love you…" Tali said softly; Shepard stopped talking, and stopped moving. He just looked at her as her hand caressed his face. He had never heard those words from her, or anyone, before in his life. "Please don't blame yourself. You did everything right. Don't be upset… despite everything that happened, I'm still so fortunate."

Shepard placed his hand on top of hers. "Fortunate…? You lost your father today, you were exiled…" he asked quietly.

"Yes, Shepard… but I have you. And I'm so grateful… I'd be selfish to ask for more," she responded, and let her hand slide off his face. She put both her arms around him, and gently hugged him. "I love you so much... "

Shepard just stood there, still somewhat in awe by her words. He let out a quiet sigh, and then placed his arms around her, hugging her back.

"I love you too, Tali…" he said quietly as they held each other. He felt her squeeze him extra tightly as soon as he spoke those words.

After a short while of them holding each other, Tali let herself separate from Shepard, and stepped back. She held his hands, and just looked at him. She felt tired; tired of all the negativity of that day. The entire first part of the day was spent dreading her upcoming trial. Then she found her father's dead body. And after all that, she still had to put up with being exiled from her home. This was the worst day of her life, and she was just tired of all the sadness and depression. She wanted to forget about this terrible day, even if only for a little while, and just feel some happiness.

She let go of Shepard's hands, and reached up to her helmet; she unlocked and removed her mask, exposing her face. Shepard just smiled; it was always wonderful to see Tali's face without a mask in the way. She smiled back.

"Just what are you doing… miss vas Normandy?" Shepard asked in a slightly playful tone.

"Kissing my boyfriend… my captain…" she responded as she leaned forward. She closed her eyes as her lips pressed against Shepard's. Her arms wrapped around his neck and shoulders. Shepard placed his arms around Tali, his hands spread out against her upper back, pushing her body against him as they intimately kissed.

Soft, quiet moans could be heard coming from Tali while they kissed, as Shepard squeezed her body against his. Their kissed intensified, and their breathing got heavier; Tali's moans became louder as the kiss became more passionate.

Their kiss finally slowed down, and their lips parted. A few quick, soft kisses followed as their faces moved away from each other. Their eyes opened, and they looked at each other.

Shepard then took her hands, and gently pushed her backwards, guiding her to back up against the wall of the airlock. Her back pressed against it, and she felt his hands take her wrists. He lifted her arms over her head, and pressed her wrists against the wall; she was now gently pinned against it. She instinctively arched her back and moaned softly; it was very exciting and arousing to her for Shepard to exert some power over her like that. She pretended to try and resist by pushing against his hands, but she couldn't even budge them.

"Mmm… looks like I'm at your mercy, Captain Shepard…" Tali said quietly; her voiced mixed with both amusement and arousal, "What are you going to do with me…?" She giggled quietly after her question, and bit her lip, staring into Shepard's eyes.

Shepard just grinned in response, and leaned forward. Their eyes closed once more as the distance between their lips shortened. They kissed again; their lips parted and joined multiple times as they took turns softly sucking on the other's lips. Tali very gently bit his lower lip at one point, and they both chuckled very quietly. He then gave her a long, intimate kiss; she moaned into his mouth and arched her back again. She relaxed her arms completely during the kiss, but they remained pinned to the wall.

"Hey Commander, are you in there?" was suddenly heard from the loudspeaker within airlock, completely interrupting their kiss and their moment. It was Joker.

Their lips immediately parted and they both laughed silently to themselves.

"Hello? I know someone's in there—I saw the indicator that the airlock door opened."

Shepard let go of Tali's wrists, and tried to compose himself so as to answer. "Yeah, Joker, I'm here. I was just… checking something with the airlock."

"Yeah… I'm sure you were," Joker replied in a slightly suspicious but amused tone.

"Just get ready to depart, we're leaving soon," Shepard responded.

"Aye aye Commander."

Shepard looked at Tali and smiled once more. He picked up her mask and approached her. "Forget about your engineering duties for today, Tali. You've had a really tough day; why don't you just go to our room and get some rest?"

"I actually enjoy working when I'm upset… it keeps my mind busy. But, I would like to go to the starboard observation lounge and… well, I'd… like to look at the Flotilla as we leave." Tali said, the happiness in her voice quickly turned to sadness as her sentence finished. "Who knows how long it'll be before I see it again… if ever…" she sighed.

Shepard leaned forward, and gave her one more kiss. He then brought up her mask and locked it unto her helmet. "You go do that sweetie. I'll join you in just a moment."

They put their arms around each other and hugged tightly again. Shepard then pressed a button next to the air-lock, and the door opened. They stepped into the ship, and Tali walked down the deck, towards the ship's elevator. Shepard couldn't help but watch her as she walked; it would've been obvious to anyone who didn't know, that he was madly in love with her.

Shepard then turned and approached Joker.

"Hey Commander, how'd the trial go?" Joker asked while staring straight ahead at his console, typing in commands.

"It didn't go well," Shepard replied, sighing as he responded. Joker rotated his chair and looked at Shepard; he didn't say anything, but it was clear he was sad to hear the news. Joker had always gotten along well with Tali; she was the only person on the ship he never had a snide remark in regards to.

"Joker… do me a favor. Take us out of here, but keep the Flotilla on the starboard side of the ship; rotate around it to do so. Just make sure it's viewable from the starboard side as long as possible."

"Yes Commander," Joker responded, with a very faint smile on his face. He immediately understood the purpose behind Shepard's request; it was so that Tali could get a proper view of the Migrant Fleet from the starboard observation lounge.

Shepard turned around, and walked away, eventually reaching the elevator. He took it down to the crew deck, and headed towards Starboard Observation. He stepped inside, and saw Tali sitting on the right-most end of the left couch. Her feet were propped up on the seat she sat on, and her legs were folded inwards. She had her arms wrapped around her legs as she stared out the window. She turned her head, and saw Shepard standing there.

"You're still in your gear… usually you can't wait to get it off," Tali said as she looked at him.

"Actually, that sounds like a good idea," Shepard responded and reached behind his back, unhooking his weapons, gently dropping them on the ground, against the wall next to the door. Tali watched him as he removed his weapons. His Widow sniper rifle made a particularly loud thud as it hit the floor.

"I don't know how you can walk around with all that weight. Keelah, that sniper rifle alone… I'm not even sure if I can pick it up."

"Heh, now you know why I'm always eager to get out of this stuff," Shepard was now removing his body armor, putting it alongside his weapons on the ground. He was now in just the casual clothes he wore under his armor. He approached Tali, and sat down right next to her, placing his arm around her; she immediately cuddled in closely and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Isn't it against regulations to leave weapons and armor lying around?" Tali said playfully, tilting her head to look at Shepard. Shepard looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah it is. Maybe you should lodge a complaint with the captain," Shepard said with a quiet chuckle. Tali just responded with a soft, quiet laugh.

Suddenly there was the faint sound of the Normandy's engines powering up, and the ship rumbled lightly as it disconnected from the Rayya. Both Shepard and Tali turned their heads, looking out the window. The hundreds of different sized ships outside the window appeared to move as the Normandy departed and flew away.

Shepard and Tali just watched, not saying anything, as the hundreds of ships zooming past the view of the window got smaller and smaller. They looked like little model ships as the Normandy got further away. Thousands of tiny ships, each sparkling with little dots of light, were soon viewable out the window; there was seemingly no end to the amount of ships that made up the Flotilla. It almost looked like a city floating in space that was slowly rotating; an illusion created by the Normandy circling it as it moved away, to keep the starboard side facing it.

"The Fleet really looks beautiful from this distance, doesn't it Shepard?" Tali asked quietly, her eyes glued to the window.

"It does. I've never seen anything quite like it." Shepard replied, "It's still only the second most beautiful thing I've seen today, though."

Tali giggled quietly. Quarians rarely showed their faces to others, and it meant a great deal to her, for Shepard to compliment hers in such a way. She had a big grin under her mask; had the mask not been there, she would've kissed him right then. She settled for just giving him a tight squeeze in response.

"I was half expecting you to laugh at how corny that comment was," Shepard said, slightly amused.

"No Shepard… it was a beautiful compliment. Thank you," Tali responded, giving him another tight squeeze.

They continued looking out the window, at the fading Flotilla. It wasn't long before the multitude of ships faded into the starry background, and it was completely out of sight. Tali felt some sadness in knowing this was likely the last time she'd ever see the Flotilla, but there was some comfort within her.

She turned her head, looking away from the stars. She looked at his face, and felt a great amount of solace. She lost so much this day, but she also realized how much she had. Shepard turned his head, noticing she was looking at him; he just smiled lovingly at her. Shepard then touched his lips with his finger, and pressed it against the mouthpiece of her mask.

"I love you…" Shepard said quietly. He reveled in speaking those words. Both his upbringing on the streets of the Earth cities, and his adult life in the Alliance Navy, had long impeded him of being able share emotions very easily. Speaking those words and exposing his emotions made him feel somewhat vulnerable, but he knew he could expose his soft underbelly to Tali. Being able to trust another person at such an intimate level was something new to him; it made him feel… human. It gave him peace.

"I love you too…" Tali responded slowly, staring at Shepard as she did so. She just looked at him for a while, into his eyes, and finally took a deep breath. Shepard didn't know it yet, but she had just made a big decision.

"Shepard… today has been so… well, you know how today was; you were right there with me. You were with me every single moment. And you weren't _just_ there… you suffered it with me. You were the one who found my dad… and then during the trial, you defended me so passionately. I've never had anyone speak like that on my behalf… I had never seen you so worked up," Tali spoke in a clearly nervous way.

Shepard noticed her nervousness, and he found it unusual. After that wonderful first night they shared when she joined the Normandy, she had rarely been this nervous around him; she just felt comfortable speaking her mind to him. But something was different this time.

"I… what I'm getting at, Shepard, is… we endured so much today—both of us—we shared so much negativity today. I just want us to share something… positive, tonight. Something good. I… would like for us to… be together…" Tali said, very nervously. She took a deep breath, "I want to be with you…" She placed her hand on Shepard's head as she spoke, slowly running her fingers through his hair.

Shepard's eyes widened slightly from hearing her words. He had been observing her with a somewhat curious, intrigued look on his face as she spoke, but it immediately warmed up as she concluded her sentence, and it became clear what she wanted. He smiled warmly at her.

"Are you sure that would be safe for you, Tali?"

"Yes. I've done some research… a while ago, actually. I even bought some supplies—for my immune system—when we were at the Citadel a few days back…" Tali said; she felt embarrassed, even though she knew she had no reason to be. "I've… been ready for a while now. I've just… I don't know, I've been… scared…"

"It's okay… I understand if you're nervous. But are you absolutely sure it'll be safe? I want you to take as much time as you need."

"Thank you. There's… always a risk, but I do think I'll be okay. We've kissed multiple times since I joined your crew, and with the antibiotics and herbal supplements I'll take… I'll be fine, Shepard. I know it."

Shepard sighed pleasantly. He was very happy, and excited, to hear Tali say she wanted them to be together this night; to unite physically. There was no one else in the galaxy he would rather be with, than the beautiful and wonderful Quarian he had his arm around. He pulled her in extra closely and gave her a tight squeeze with his arm.

After a very short while, he placed his free hand on her abdomen, and gently caressed it.

"Do Quarians get a fluttery, tingly feeling in their stomach when they're excited and nervous?" Shepard asked.

"Yes we do… I get that sensation a lot with you… like right now…" Tali responded with happiness in her voice.

"Humans get it too… we call it 'butterflies in the stomach.'"

"Butter…flies…?" Tali asked; she had never heard that term before.

"They're these beautiful flying insects from Earth. When you see how their wings move as they fly… you'll understand the expression," Shepard answered, smiling at her. "But that's for another time… let's go to our room, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy…"


	7. Chapter 7

_**(Warning: In my opinion, this story is suitable for a T-rating, but a couple people have mentioned they think it should be bumped up to M. Story contains some non-explicit sexual content)**_

Shepard's quarters looked different than it did weeks ago, before Tali first joined the Normandy. She had been sleeping his room, in his bed with him, every night since then. It wasn't just _Shepard's_ private quarters anymore, but _their_ private quarters. She had moved in with him, and her presence in the room was noticeable. The small desk next to the couch, for example, was now completely covered in tech parts and tools that Tali would often tinker with.

She would frequently get interrupted as she fiddled with the tech parts on the desk; Shepard found himself unable to resist pulling up a chair behind her, and putting his arms around her body, caressing her abdomen, chest, and thighs as she worked. It was always distracting to Tali, but she never minded it. Though she often longed to feel his hands directly on her skin, she still got immense joy from just feeling the pressure of his hands against her suit, as they roamed and caressed her body. Most times it led to her mask coming off, and the two of them making out on the couch.

Shepard didn't mind giving up that desk for Tali, he had his own desk in the office part of their quarters, under his many models ships. But even on it, Tali's influence was noticeable. On it was a holo of Shepard and Tali together; a reminder of a fun evening they shared not long after that night they professed their feelings for each other. She had been sitting on his lap, on the chair next to their bed, when she took the holo with her omni-tool. There were many images of Shepard in existence due to his fame, all of them could be found on the Extranet, but none of them showed a Shepard with such a happy, blissful smile on his face. The quarian girl draped in purple that was with him in it, was clearly responsible for that.

Shepard currently sat on the couch that was next to Tali's desk, his arms were spread out on the top of the couch's backrest; he was in a relaxed pose as he waited for Tali to return. She had gone to their private washroom to prepare herself—her immune system—for their first time making love; for the first time she would get out of her suit for him. Many thoughts ran through his head in anticipation. They all instantly cleared, and he felt a slight flutter of butterflies in his stomach, as he heard the door to their washroom open.

Shepard turned his head and saw Tali stepping out of their washroom, and walking around his desk as she approached. She had already taken off her metal boots; her feet were covered only by the black material of her suit. That little third toe of hers was so cute.

"Welcome back," Shepard said with a smile as Tali approached him on the couch. She just sat down next to him; his outspread arms were inviting for her to cuddle in against his chest. He closed his arm in around her and held her.

"I… took some antibiotic injections, as well as some herbal supplements…" Tali finally muttered.

"I know I've asked this a few times, but are you sure want to do this now? You had such a terrible day today... I don't know—I just want you to be sure you're ready."

"Yes Shepard… I want this. Let's not talk about today. I just want for us to be happy tonight," Tali responded. Her words were sure, but it was clear she was nervous.

Shepard just responded by giving her a gentle squeeze with his arm. He decided to change the subject.

"I've been meaning to ask since you first mentioned them earlier, but how exactly do herbal supplements help your immune system?" Shepard asked. The question served two purposes: he was genuinely curious about it, and he also knew getting her to talk about something would help her feel better. Talking always helped relieve her nervousness.

"It may sound contradictory, but these particular herbal supplements actually aid my immune system by having a 'slowing' affect on it; they make it less aggressive," Tali began to explain.

"Wait… so they actually suppress your immune system?"

"Something like that."

"You're going to have to help me here, because I don't see how that would help," Shepard said amused, but clearly wanting more information.

"Well, as you know I can't actually get a disease from your germs, since we're a different race and have opposite amino-acid chirality," Tali explained. "What I actually get is an acute allergic reaction. By suppressing my immune system, the allergic reaction is less severe."

"So, the herbal supplements pacify your immune system, so that you don't have much of a reaction to my germs, which you actually can't get a _disease_ from? But what about the antibiotics?" Shepard asked, but he immediately figured out the answer, and answered himself. "Oh I get it. While your immune system is suppressed from the supplements, the antibiotics take care of killing the foreign bacteria you get from me?"

"Yes, that's right! So by the time the effects of the herbal supplements wear off, the antibiotics will have already killed off most of the foreign bacteria. That way when my immune system returns to normal, it won't freak out finding a lot of foreign bacteria." Tali concluded. Just as Shepard had expected, all the talking had helped relieve Tali's nervousness; she clearly had fun explaining things and talking about quarian immune systems.

"Sounds like the antibiotics and the supplements have pretty good synergy; kind of sounds like us. We make a great team, don't we?" Shepard said happily, but very sincerely; he truly valued Tali as a team member. Tali laughed quietly at his analogy, and gave him a tight squeeze. She had been looking at him as they talked, but she now just placed her head on his shoulder. She heard Shepard let out a big sigh that communicated his happy, relaxed state. There was a short period of silence.

"Um… it would be best if we waited about ten more minutes. For, you know, the supplements and antibiotics to begin taking effect," Tali said, quietly. All her nervousness returned as she informed him. Right afterwards, she felt Shepard's hand gently pushing up on the jaw part of her helmet, guiding her to look at him.

"You're nervous, aren't you Tali?" He asked in a soft, gentle voice.

"Yes… I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be, It's just…"

"No Tali… don't apologize for anything," Shepard immediately interrupted her. "It's perfectly normal for you to feel a little nervous." Shepard's hand moved away from her chin, down her torso, and eventually reached her hand. He gently squeezed it.

"Thank you, Shepard… I just, I want this to work. I want us to have a good time, but I... don't really know what… to do. You've also never even seen me out of my suit, what if you don't… I want you to be… pleased…"

Shepard let out a quiet sigh as she talked. She was adorable when she was nervous like that, but at the same time, he wanted her not to doubt herself so much.

"Tali…" Shepard began to say, caressing her thigh, "You don't really think there's any chance I'll be displeased with you, do you?" He moved his hand up and placed it on the side of her waist.

"Well, I just…" Tali mumbled, initially unsure how to respond, but the answer suddenly became clear to her. She sighed softly, "No… I, guess not…"

"Of course not… you're beautiful, Tali. You have nothing to be nervous about. I actually already have a pretty good idea of what you like under your suit…" Shepard's hand was now caressing her side. "I mean seriously, this thing is so… snug. Does that even serve a function or do you just like to show off your gorgeous curves?"

Tali giggled quietly, cuddling in a little closer. She really enjoyed hearing Shepard say things like that; being complimented on her physical appearance was still something new to her, and it just made her happy to hear Shepard was happy with how she looked. "Of course it's functional. It being snug has many advantages."

Shepard let his body slide down in the opposite direction of where Tali sat, so that he was lying on his back on the couch. He pulled Tali down with him so that she lay on top of him. His hands slowly moved up and down her back.

"Like?" He asked, with a relaxed, loving look on his face.

"Well, it being snug makes the suit comfortable for one, and prevents it from impairing movement. It also decreases the chance of an infection spreading if there's a puncture. Not to mention it—"

Shepard interrupted her explanation by suddenly placing his hands on her mask and removing it; he placed it on the coffee table in front of the couch. He lifted his head slightly and kissed Tali's lips. Both his hands were on her torso again, running up and down her body as they kissed. Quick, soft kisses followed after the long initial kiss.

Shepard lowered his head back down, and both of them just looked at each other's eyes.

"I… think it's been ten minutes…" Tali muttered quietly. Her breathing was slightly heavier than it had been before the kiss. Shepard smiled at her, and placed his hand on her cheek. Tali closed her eyes and very softly moaned as Shepard's fingers delicately caressed her face.

"I take it that means you're ready to remove that suit, Tali?" Shepard asked in a gentle, happy voice. Tali's eyes opened.

"Yes… no—I mean… I'm ready to get out of my suit, and… share myself with you, but…" Tali paused. She felt very embarrassed asking this, but it was something she really wanted. "Will you… um… remove my suit, for me…?" Ever since she first started her research, and thoughts of making love to Shepard entered her mind, she had always fantasized about _him_ removing the suit, not her. She wanted to feel his hands moving on her body, unhooking each strap, removing each section. She had taken her suit off many times in her life to wash up and cleanse herself; there was nothing special about _her_ removing it. But the thought of another, of Shepard, removing it was both very intimate and incredibly erotic. She bit her lip after she asked.

"Let's go to our bed..." Shepard said quietly, and gave her another quick kiss. He hadn't directly answered her, but she knew his answer. Tali got off of Shepard, and stood up in front of the couch; Shepard got up as well. Tali began to move towards the bed, when she suddenly felt Shepard's hands on each side of her waist, stopping her. He was standing right behind her, and gently pulled back so that her body pressed against his. Tali just stood there, as she felt Shepard's arms slowly wrap around her body.

"I may need some help taking of your suit…" Shepard said quietly. "I haven't undressed a female quarian in a few years…"

"What?" Tali immediately turned around and looked at Shepard. He just started to laugh.

"It was a joke." Shepard said, chuckling quietly.

"Really? I'm not so sure now. Maybe that would explain why you treated me so well back on the original Normandy…" Tali knew it was a joke, but she played along.

"I have a better explanation for that," Shepard said as his laugh ended, "It was because you were invaluable to my mission, you were an amazing team member, and above all that… you were sweet, caring, and selfless beyond anything I had ever seen."

Tali just smiled in response.

"How could I not have fallen in love with you, Tali?" Shepard asked rhetorically. He took advantage that she was facing him, and gave her a kiss. His hands roamed on her body while they kissed; his right hand stopped below her chest, and he unfastened each of the three straps that wrapped around her torso with his finger. The straps, and the harness on her back they attached to, suddenly dropped to the ground. Her purple fabric loosened.

Their kiss ended slowly, and Shepard's hands moved up above her chest. He unfastened the metal clasp that held her hood together.

"You don't need my help… you seem to know what you're doing…" She said quietly, staring at his eyes.

"I just remember a few things from that night when you almost… got carried away." Shepard smiled at her.

"Oh Keelah… must you remind me of that?" Tali blushed slightly.

Shepard chuckled quietly as he pulled back Tali's hood. He then placed his hands on each side of her helmet, pressed the unlocking mechanism, and released it. He took it off over her head lowered it, letting it drop to the ground.

The thud of her helmet hitting the ground instantly caused Tali to feel a flutter of butterflies in her stomach and chills up her back; it finally sunk in that Shepard was actually removing her suit. In just a few minutes, she'll be free of her suit and completely uncovered. In just a few minutes… she'll be in bed with Shepard, feeling his skin on hers; they'll be making love to each other.

Shepard positioned himself so that he was behind Tali again. All the straps and belts that had once wrapped around her were now on the floor; the purple fabric was completely loose. Tali felt his hands rub against her body as he tugged on it, eventually getting the beautiful purple fabric to unravel and come off; It also dropped to the ground. Shepard then detached and removed the metal part that protected her neck. Her _suit_ was now all Tali had on her body; all the decorative cloth and accessories were on the ground.

"The suit…" Tali gulped; she was once again very nervous, "It… comes off in sections. The sleeves of each arm first… then the torso part. Then, um… the lower part…" Tali's instructions ended in a mumble.

Shepard listened to her advice, but he only responded by kissing her neck. Tali immediately gasped and felt an incredible chill of pleasure run up her back and neck. His lips kissing and gently sucking on the sensitive skin of her neck was pure ecstacy.

"Ohhh... oh Shepard..." She whispered quietly and moaned, leaning against Shepard's body. She tilted her head to the opposite side to give him better access to her neck. Feeling Shepard's warm breath gently brush against her skin as he kissed made it even more pleasurable.

Distracted by Shepard kissing her neck, she hadn't noticed that his hands had been on her shoulders, and managed to unlock the seams of her arm sleeves, detaching them from the rest of the suit. He stopped kissing her neck just long enough to tug down on each sleeve and take them off. They too, dropped to the ground. Tali's arms were now exposed.

Still standing behind her, he unlocked the torso part of the suit from the 'pants' part. He remembered that the two sections attached—from that night weeks ago when he tended to her leg injury—but he didn't know how the torso section would actually come off.

"How does the torso part come off?" Shepard asked in a quiet voice, in between the kisses he was giving her neck and shoulder. His hands were now on her arms, gently stroking and caressing them as he kissed.

"There's…. it opens… on the back…" Tali could hardly speak from the pleasure of Shepard's lips on her neck and his hands stroking her arms, stimulating skin nerves which weren't accustomed to feeling much beyond an environmental suit.

Shepard then slid his hands off Tali's arms, and stepped back. He put his hands on her back, and found the mechanism that would release the suit's seam. He got it unlocked, and the torso section unsealed, opening vertically through her back. Tali bit her lip in anticipation, knowing that the torso section was now loose, and about to come off. Her entire upper body would be uncovered and naked; her breasts would be exposed. Shepard helped guide the torso section off her arms, and it joined the various parts of her suit on the floor.

Tali just stood there, naked from the hips up. Shepard was still standing behind her so all he could see was her back, but he took a second to admire it. The upper part of her body had such petite build; her waist was so thin and her shoulders narrow. Her arms were slender; they were slightly thinner than a typical human woman's arms. Her quarian body looked incredibly feminine and beautiful.

Shepard then placed his hands on Tali's waist, and slid his hands up and around her body, finally reaching her chest. He cupped each of her breasts with his hands, and gently held them. Tali instantly arched her back and a sudden, broken-up gasp escaped her mouth, which was proceeded by a long, pleasure-filled moan.

"T-take off your shirt, Shepard… please… I, I need to feel your skin on mine…" Tali spoke in just a whisper. She was too overcome with pleasure to speak any louder.

Tali then immediately felt Shepard's hands come off her as he stepped back. He took off his shirt and tossed it aside. As he put his hands on Tali's shoulders, he noticed she was shaking slightly.

"Tali, are you okay? You're trembling…"

"I'm… very excited, but… I'm also a little cold. My skin—I'm… not use to being out of my suit… the air in here, it just… it feels cold…"

Shepard knew exactly what to do. He gently turned her around so that they faced each other, and he positioned his hands on her back. He then brought her in closely, and pressed her bare torso against his. Tali had never felt anything like it before. Her chest, her stomach, all of the skin on the front of her upper body suddenly pressed against Shepard's. It was simply incredible how soft his skin felt against hers; the way his body heat seemed to so willingly transfer off his skin to hers. She immediately put her arms around him, and held him as tightly as she could. Hugging him, bare skinned, was incomparably better than hugging him with her suit on. His hands moved up and down her back, causing her to feel chills of pleasure tingle up her spine.

"Does that help with the cold, Tali?" Shepard asked happily; he already knew the answer. Tali immediately and eagerly nodded her head.

"Oh Shepard… your skin feels so—I've never felt anything like this, ever. It's just so… so warm, and soft…" Tali answered as she began to gently nuzzled Shepard's neck, giving it several soft kisses. Even Shepard wasn't immune to the chills he got from feeling Tali's lips and warm breath on his neck.

They just stood there for a while, holding each other. She still had the lower part of her suit on, but Shepard knew she really enjoyed this moment in particular, and he didn't want to rush her. Though it's a moment they were sharing together, Shepard wanted it to be more for her than himself. She was such a wonderful person, and she had gone through so much; she shouldn't have had a day like that one. She deserved so much better.

"It's not like you to leave something unfinished…" Tali said in a slightly flirty tone, referring to her lower suit still being on. Shepard was caught off guard by her comment; by her sudden assertiveness. But it made him very happy to hear it. As cute as she was when nervous, he was glad to see her feel calm and confident with him. Her excitement was clearly winning against her nervousness.

"I think you're right, I should finish everything I start…" Shepard said as he took a step back, and let his hands slide from her back, down to her hips.

With his hands holding her hips, he gently guided her to back up. Her lower legs eventually got stopped by their bed and she sat down. Tali closed her eyes as she felt Shepard's index fingers hook over the top of the pants part of her suit, and she bit her lip as she felt what was left of her suit begin to slide down. Her lower suit slid down her thighs, then past her knees, and eventually reached her feet; with one last tug, they were off and on the floor. She sat on the bed, completely naked before Shepard. She slowly opened her eyes.

She saw Shepard smiling at her as he stood before her, but it was a very special smile. His eyes were very relaxed and his smile could only be described as warm and loving. It wasn't a smile fueled by excitement or arousal; but by love. His smile communicated it, but he felt the need to say it:

"I love you…"

With hearing it, and seeing it in his face—the last remnant of Tali's nervousness completely vanished. She was now completely ready.

"I know, Shepard… you've shown it in so many ways…" She responded with a happy look on her face. She took Shepard's hand, and pulled so that he fell on top of her. They both laughed quietly as he landed on her, lying on top of her body. She gave him a quick kiss. "There is one way you haven't shown me yet, though, or I you… it's time we change that…"

After a few kisses, Shepard removed what was left of his clothes, and the two of them finally joined together physically. Shepard was slow and very gentle with Tali as they made love together, but their strong feelings for each other greatly augmented their pleasure. Their intercourse was far beyond a mere physical activity. The two of them were sharing themselves, emotionally and physically, with the best thing either had ever found in the galaxy—each other.

Shepard stayed on top most of the time, and Tali found herself digging her nails into Shepard's upper back as they made love. He enjoyed it; the sharp stinging of her nails against his skin gave the moment some extra intensity. As time passed and their intimate experience progressed, they found themselves changing positions a few times—but they were always in a position where they could look at the other's face.

As the final moments of their intercourse approached, Tali was on top of Shepard, straddled on him as he lay on his back. Often times she would lean down so that her body was parallel with his and eagerly kissed his lips and neck in between her moans and heavy breathing. It wasn't long before they both reached the apex of their pleasure, and felt incredible bliss erupt and run through their bodies. They cuddled in closely as they finished, kissing each other repeatedly as their hands roamed on the other's body.

A while after they finished, both Tali and Shepard began to feel their eyelids get heavy as they held each other and cuddled. It had been a long and stressful day, with a multitude of strong emotions before, during, and after their intense combat on the Alarei. They were both very tired by this point, but also very relaxed and at peace; they began to doze off.

The air of the room was still cold by standards of Tali's sensitive skin. But she hadn't felt cold in a long time. Her arms were wrapped tightly around Shepard as she lay under the blanket snuggled against him. Shepard also had his arms around Tali, and held her body firmly against his.

Tali experienced warmth and comfort far beyond anything she could have ever experienced from within her suit, as she dozed off in Shepard's arms, her head resting on his chest.


End file.
